The country begins the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic with optimism because of three Emergency Use Authorization vaccines and President Joe Biden’s direction that all states make all adults eligible for vaccination by May 1, 2021. As more workers return to work in person, there are key considerations for employers in the coming months.
Vaccinated Grandparents Can Visit Indoors with Grandchildren, but what Do the New CDC Guidelines Mean at Work?
This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued its first set of recommendations for fully vaccinated people. Significantly, the recommendations are interim only, and will continue to be updated and expanded by the CDC based on the level of community spread, proportion of the U.S. population fully vaccinated, and emerging scientific
Travel Tip of the Day: Mask Up Starting February 2nd If You Plan to Use Public Transportation
Making good on President Biden’s position that everyone should wear a mask when using public transportation, the CDC issued an Order effective February 2nd requiring all travelers using public transportation to wear masks while boarding, traveling and disembarking. The Order requires all travelers, crew, and people who work at the transportation hub (airport, train
President Biden Calls for Reinstating and Expanding Mandatory Paid Leave As Part of Covid Relief Package
As all eyes are on Washington, DC today with the inauguration of our 46th President. President Biden has laid out an “aggressive plan” to “change the course of the pandemic, build a bridge towards economic recovery, and invest in racial justice.” The 19-page plan the incoming administration published last week calls for legislation to
CDC Clarifies Critical Infrastructure Worker Guidance – Opportunities to Continue Working Potentially Narrowed After COVID-19 Exposures
On November 16, 2020, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) clarified its guidance permitting critical infrastructure workers to return to work before the end of the standard 14-day quarantine period following exposure to COVID-19. In this updated guidance, the CDC reiterated its standard recommendation that all individuals known to be exposed to a person
To Vaccinate Or Not To Vaccinate… That Is The Question
As we enter flu season (in the midst of a national spike in COVID-19 cases), and it now appears that a COVID-19 vaccine is on the horizon, employers are struggling with whether they should require employees to be vaccinated for seasonal influenza and/or COVID-19 infection. After the year that many have had, there is a
Extended School Closings Create Homework for Employers
You can hear the parents wailing across the country (almost like kindergartners on their first day of school), as states begin to announce their plans to keep physical schools closed or alternate between in-school and virtual classes for the upcoming year. The collective parent wail is outmatched only by that of their employers, who are
EEOC Answers Key Questions for Employers, Including Whether Employers Can Identify an Employee Diagnosed With COVID-19 to a Public Health Agency
Employers have been struggling with exactly what information they are permitted to disclose to a public health agency when an employee is diagnosed with COVID-19. The EEOC yesterday for the first time advised that, at least under the Americans with Disabilities Act, employers may disclose the employee’s name to the public health agency. However, employers
EEOC Releases Recorded Webinar Addressing Important Questions
The EEOC published a recorded webinar on March 27. The EEOC uses a Q and A format to address 22 common questions from employers covering a broad range of topics including among other things, taking employees temperatures, appropriate and inappropriate disclosure of information related to an employee’s COVID-19 diagnosis, and managing employee accommodation requests including