Category: COVID-19

COVID-19, Labor & Employment

Cal/OSHA Approves Third Adoption of COVID-19 ETS

Written by Jeremy Mittman and Gary McLaughlin On April 21, Cal/OSHA voted to approve the third adoption of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), which will be effective May, 6, 2022 until December 31, 2022. Our blog posts on the previous versions of the ETS can be found here and here. Significant changes in the third adoption include:  Vaccination status definition removed. In the new … Continue reading Cal/OSHA Approves Third Adoption of COVID-19 ETS

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COVID-19, Labor & Employment

Update: California Publishes COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave FAQs

Written by Jeremy Mittman Last week, California’s Department of Industrial Relations released FAQs for the state’s recently enacted 2022 COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave law. Highlighted below are several clarifying points from the FAQs. Read our general breakdown of the new law here. Definition of Quarantine or Isolation Period  The FAQs clarify that the guidelines that would apply to determine whether and for how long … Continue reading Update: California Publishes COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave FAQs

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COVID-19, Labor & Employment

It’s Back!  COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Returns in California

Written by Jeremy Mittman On February 10, 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 114 (SB 114), which brings back COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave, into law. SB 114, which applies to employers with 25 or more employees, will go into effect on February 20, 2022, applies retroactively to January 1, 2022, and will be in effect through September 30, 2022. While the new … Continue reading It’s Back!  COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Returns in California

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COVID-19, Labor & Employment

New Masking Mandate for Los Angeles Employers

Written by Jeremy Mittman Last week, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued a new order amid the rapid spread of the omicron COVID-19 variant. Notably, under the new order employers are required to provide medical-grade masks to their employees who work indoors and in close contact with others as soon as possible, but no later than January 17, 2022. The new rule … Continue reading New Masking Mandate for Los Angeles Employers

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COVID-19, Labor & Employment

California Court rules Employer Can be Sued By Employee for COVID-19 Death of Her Husband

Written by Jeremy Mittman and Daniel Innamorati The California Second District Court of Appeals affirmed a trial court’s ruling allowing a lawsuit to proceed against See’s Candies alleging that insufficient safety protocols led to a worker contracting COVID-19, transmitting it to her husband, and causing her husband’s death.  In allowing the case to go forward, the Second District ruled that the California Workers’ Compensation Act … Continue reading California Court rules Employer Can be Sued By Employee for COVID-19 Death of Her Husband

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COVID-19, Labor & Employment

OSHA Issues, and Fifth Circuit Stays, Emergency Temporary Standard for COVID-19 Vaccination of Private Sector Employees

Written by Gary McLaughlin and Eric Engelman On November 4, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) issued its long-awaited COVID-19 vaccination rule for private employers. The OSHA COVID-19 vaccination and testing emergency temporary standard (“ETS”) applies to all employers with 100 or more employees, and requires that employees be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, or comply with testing and face covering requirements.  The ETS … Continue reading OSHA Issues, and Fifth Circuit Stays, Emergency Temporary Standard for COVID-19 Vaccination of Private Sector Employees

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COVID-19, Labor & Employment

EEOC Issues New COVID-19 Guidance on Religious Objections to Vaccine Mandates

Written by Jeremy Mittman An increase in workplace mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies has yielded an increase in employees’ requests for special exemptions. This week, the EEOC issued updated guidance on how employers should handle religious objections to COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The guidance explains how Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits employment discrimination based on religion, applies. Under Title VII, employers are required … Continue reading EEOC Issues New COVID-19 Guidance on Religious Objections to Vaccine Mandates

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COVID-19, Immigration, Labor & Employment

White House Announces New COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Requirements for Air Travelers to US

Written by David S. Rugendorf Yesterday, October 25, 2021, the White House issued its long-awaited vaccination and testing requirements for noncitizen/nonpermanent resident air travelers to the United States. The new requirements, which will take effect at 12:01 a.m. on November 8, 2021, replace the previous travel restrictions – no longer will travelers physically present in certain specified geographic regions (China, UK, Ireland, Europe (Schengen countries), … Continue reading White House Announces New COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Requirements for Air Travelers to US

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COVID-19, Labor & Employment

FDA Fully Approves Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine, Removing Potential Hurdle to Mandatory Vaccination Policies

Written by Jeremy Mittman Employers can breathe a bit easier when considering whether or not to adopt a mandatory vaccination policy to apply to their workforces. On August 23, 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine full approval, elevating it from its previous Emergency Use Authorization (“EUA”) status. As most know by now, the Pfizer vaccine is the first of … Continue reading FDA Fully Approves Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine, Removing Potential Hurdle to Mandatory Vaccination Policies

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