COVID-19 Viewpoints

A timely and robust response to the COVID-19 virus demands the attention and resources of, and action by, federal and state regulators, employers, and individuals alike. The stakes could not be higher. State and local “shelter-in-place” orders have effectively, if not actually, resulted in widespread job losses for at least some indeterminate period of time.

Congress has now passed the CORONAVIRUS AID, RELIEF AND ECONOMIC SECURITY ACT OR CARES ACT – Federal government’s Phase III response to the health and economic impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. President Trump has pledged to sign the Act into law immediately.

This alert discusses what companies outsourcing critical business process functions to India should do in light of the Indian government’s order that telecom, IT, and other technology companies should, as far as possible, work from home.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, so too have concerns about collaboration between competitors attempting to address unmet needs due to this national emergency. Shortages of medical supplies, personal protective equipment (PPE), and health care services pose questions of whether stakeholders can join forces in order to provide these much needed services and supplies.

On March 23, 2020, Governor Charlie Baker of Massachusetts issued COVID-19 Order No. 13 (the “Order”) requiring all businesses and organizations in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that do not provide “COVID-19 Essential Services” (“Essential Services”) to close their physical workplaces and facilities to workers, customers and the public as of 12:00 noon on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 until 12:00 noon on April 7, 2020.  

With the advent of COVID-19, countries around the world are facing a novel challenge that affects them in unprecedented ways economically, socially, and otherwise.  From a public health perspective, now perhaps more than ever before, authorities are interested in understanding more about the movement patterns of those within their borders, including where certain individuals have traveled to, who they have met with, and where they are located now.  

As part of the “New York State on PAUSE” response to the COVID-19 outbreak, on March 20, 2020 Governor Cuomo issued Executive Order No. 202.8 requiring a 100% reduction of the in-person workforce of all non-essential businesses in New York State. While the reduction of in-person workforce is broad reaching, the essential services exception serves to allow landlords to continue providing basic security, janitorial service, and other services truly needed for maintaining and operating their buildings.  Furthermore, landlords and tenants should be able to maintain the IT infrastructure needed for remote work, provided they are doing so in a manner that otherwise comports with the NY State on Pause requirements. 

Companies with employees in multiple European locations may well be feeling challenged both in keeping up with public health-driven guidance – and more recently, mandates – relating to the SARS-COV2 risks in the workplace.  On top of extraordinarily urgent efforts to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus while maintaining as much business continuity as possible, companies have legitimate concerns about their data protection obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and national employment laws.

401(k) plans must, by law, limit the circumstances under which plan money can be withdrawn by active employees. However, 401(k) plans can (and most do) allow in-service withdrawals in the event of an employee’s financial hardship. The COVID-19 pandemic is guaranteed to have financial repercussions for many 401(k) participants, and hardship distributions may provide a financial bridge to better times. The post summarizes the hardship distribution rules to help 401(k) plan sponsors prepare for an uptick in requests. It should be noted that the hardship distribution rules changed in 2018 and 2019, so employers are advised to confirm that they are familiar with the most current rules.

We provide the following information to assist our clients to keep track of some of the most salient Coronavirus-related immigration changes and developments:

President Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act into law late Wednesday night.  We summarize the enacted version below (which replaces our analysis of an earlier version the House passed, which it since amended).  The law goes into effect into effect April 2, 2020 and will remain in place until the end of the year. 

This alert reviews worksite and Notice requirements for foreign workers and how employers can ensure compliance as employees work remotely during the coronavirus pandemic.

In response to COVID-19, Massachusetts has directed health insurance carriers to, among other things, relax cost-sharing and enhance telemedicine services. These directives are part of the Commonwealth’s package of efforts to encourage early detection and treatment of COVID-19, and to slow the transmission of COVID-19. Massachusetts carriers have answered the call by enhancing benefits and services, in some cases beyond what the new directives require. Employers can play a key role by informing employees of these new benefits and encouraging employees to use the benefits.

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Congress and President Trump have taken the following actions:

This article provides details about the coronavirus-related UK travel ban, which includes England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Read about the federal government’s response to COVID-19, including $8B in emergency funding and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act pending in the House.

With cases of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) emerging in nearly every state, many businesses are taking swift action in an effort to curb its spread.  Teleworking, “remote working,” or simply “working from home,” is a centerpiece of those efforts. While remote working arrangements may be effective to slow the community spread of COVID-19 from person to person, they present cybersecurity challenges that can be different than on-premise work. 

Ellen Janos discusses the role telemedicine is expected to play in the management of the coronavirus outbreak as well as the Emergency Appropriations Bill passed Congress which contains provisions intended to loosen the restrictions on Medicare reimbursement for telehealth services.