U.S. to Impose New COVID-19 Restrictions for Air Travelers from China

Written by Deeba Fahami On December 28, 2022, the Biden administration announced new COVID-19 restrictions for travelers from China, citing mounting concerns of the ongoing COVID-19 surges and the lack of adequate data being reported from the People’s Republic of China (China). These restrictions will affect all air passengers two years and older boarding flights to the United States originating from China, Hong Kong, and … Continue reading U.S. to Impose New COVID-19 Restrictions for Air Travelers from China

California’s COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Extended Through 2022

Written by Jeremy Mittman and Gabriel Hemphill On September 29, 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (“AB”) 152 into law. AB 152 was signed immediately before the expiration of its predecessor, Senate Bill (“SB”) 114 (which we discussed here), which provided Covid-19 supplemental paid sick leave (“SPSL”) through September 30, 2022. Effective September 30, 2022, AB 152 extends the obligations and entitlements of … Continue reading California’s COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Extended Through 2022

Hollywood Extends “Return to Work” COVID-19 Protocol Agreement Through September

Written by Jeremy Mittman Hollywood’s unions and producers extended their Return-to-Work agreement through September 30, 2022 amidst surging COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles.  The initial agreement between the AMPTP, DGA, IATSE, SAG-AFTRA, and Teamsters/Basic Crafts was signed in September 2020 and established COVID-19 safety protocols for guild productions. Since then, it has been extended eight times.  In May of 2022, the agreement was updated to … Continue reading Hollywood Extends “Return to Work” COVID-19 Protocol Agreement Through September

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

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

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

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

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

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