The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has disrupted lives and continues to wreak havoc on the global economy, has seen a sudden and dramatic shift in the way we live. Previously, uncommon concepts and practices such as social distancing, lockdown, quarantine and self-isolation have now rapidly become part of our daily parlance. Unsurprisingly, in view of the swift rise of death rates associated with the pandemic, many people are being reminded of their own mortality ...
Like many other countries worldwide, South Africa went into a 21-day national lockdown on 27 March, in an effort to help slow down the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). The lockdown has already had a devastating impact on the economy and on employment in a country that was already in recession. This has already been felt by many in their pockets ...
Given the fact that many countries are under some form of lockdown as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, organisations that are able to do so, are now working remotely, with video conferencing platforms enabling people to have virtual meetings just like they were face to face. However, there are growing privacy concerns over the use of these platforms, with some in the spotlight for sharing data with Facebook ...
A strike, and employees’ actions during a strike, will almost inevitably cause an employer losses. In terms of South African common law, an employer may have a delictual remedy at its disposal. It can, in certain circumstances, sue the union or its members for the losses suffered ...
The Competition Commission of Mauritius (“CCM”) has issued acommuniquéon 9 April 2020 stating that it understands that: enterprises may have to collaborate during these uncertain times in order to ensure provision of essential products and services; certain prohibitions as contained under the Competition Act 2007 (the “Act”) may create uncertainty as to what may be permissible in terms of collaboration in the context of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) ...
The outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the incidental measures adopted by the Mauritian government represent serious potential impact for financial institutions in general. Below, we examine the recourses available to borrowers facing financial hardship as a result of the pandemic and its aftermath. We consider only credit facilities, that is, agreements by which financial institutions advance money to their clients for repayment either in instalments or at term ...
In response to efforts to curb the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Ministry of Health published regulations providing for the closure of various places including bars, schools and institutions of higher learning, bars, cinema halls, shopping malls, arcades, hardware shops, all shops and stores selling non- food items, salons, gymnasiums, massage parlours, hotels and lodging houses, motor repair workshops and garages, with a few exceptions ...
The recent Constitutional Court judgment inNational Director of Public Prosecutions v Botha N.O. and Anotherconsidered the issue of whether a proportionality analysis is required for the forfeiture of unlawful proceeds in terms of section 50(1)(b) of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act, 1998 (“POCA”) ...
Spread of coronavirus infection made companies to change their daily practices in order to ensure continuous business operation without compromising individuals’ safety. In this newsletter, we elaborate on the most sensitive legal issues in terms of data protection, privacy and cybersecurity ...
Below is a summary of key new measures and initiatives that have been implemented by various UAE authorities since 9 April 2020 and the time of this inBrief, 6:00 p.m. on Monday, 13 April 2020. Commercial Activity On 13 April 2020 the Dubai Department of Economic Development issued a circular on the re-opening of some commercial activities and emphasised that these activities must continue to comply with preventive guidelines, including operating only between the hours of 8:00 a.m ...
Introduction The Italian Government has adopted Law Decree no. 23 of 8 April 20201 (the "Liquidity Decree"), which provides for additional measures to support companies in the current COVID-19 emergency ...
On Friday, March 27, 2020, President Donald Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, H.R. 748, ( CARES Act or Act), a $2 trillion stimulus bill the House passed by voice vote earlier the same day and the Senate passed on Wednesday, March 25, by a vote of 96-0. The CARES Act is the largest economic relief package in the history of the United States ...
Law Decree n. 23 of 8 April 2020 (the “Liquidity Decree”) has introduced significant changes to the socalled “golden power rules” and to the disclosure duty of relevant shareholdings in listed companies. These rules are aimed at discouraging “predatory purchases” of Italian strategic and listed companies in times when their share price may be particularly depressed due to the COVID-19 emergency ...
Following the announcement of economic measures aimed towards responding to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Serbian Government issued two regulations on 10 April 2020 that determine the conditions and criteria for compliance of the state aid (i) for remedying the negative effects caused byCOVID-19 and (ii) for remedying a serious disturbance in the economy caused byCOVID-19, whereas both regulations will be valid until 1 July 2021 ...
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is devoting significant resources to combat deceptive COVID-19 advertising in a range of industries as consumer complaints to the FTC pick up steam. Companies are shifting marketing spend to cover COVID-19 messaging and should be mindful of the FTC’s increased scrutiny. Through April 9, 2020, the FTC has received 15,006 consumer complaints relating to COVID-19 advertising and business activities ...
OSHA requires that covered employers record certain work-related injuries and illnesses on their OSHA 300 log. Under OSHA’s recordkeeping requirements, COVID-19 is a recordable illness, and employers are responsible for recording cases of COVID-19, if all of the following are met: The case is a confirmed case of COVID-19; The case is work-related, as defined by 29 CFR 1904.5; and The case involves one or more of the general recording criteria set forth in 29 CFR 1904 ...
