Today, President Biden announced the nation’s COVID-19 Action Plan, which is a six-prong, comprehensive national strategy designed to save lives, keep schools open and safe, and protect the nation’s economy while avoiding additional lockdowns and damage. The six prongs are:
On March 12, 2021, New York passed a new law requiring all New York employers to provide up to four (4) hours of paid leave for the purposes of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. New York is the first state to implement paid leave specifically limited to time spent getting vaccinated. The law is effective as of March 12, 2021, and the law’s leave entitlement is set to expire on December 31, 2022. In addition to paid leave, the law prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who request or take vaccination leave, or otherwise exercise their rights under the new law.
On December 2, 2020, the CDC updated its guidelines to provide two options to shorten the time frame for which individuals exposed to COVID-19 are to quarantine. The CDC continues to recommend that individuals who are exposed to COVID-19 quarantine for 14 days after exposure. However, the CDC’s new guidelines provide two alternative options to
As the COVID-19 resurgence continues, the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago, have once again updated guidance for employers. For further details, please read our update, which provides a summary of the most recent mandates and guidance as of November 20, 2020.
On April 3, 2020, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an updated recommendation that all workers and members of the general public should consider using non-medical face masks or face coverings to prevent the spread of COVID-19 transmission and infection. The CDC does not require individuals to wear face masks; however, businesses should be aware of increased local legislation that may affect their workforce. Many states now mandate the use of face masks and may even require businesses to bear the cost in providing them.