On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the outbreak of the new coronavirus, (subsequently renamed as COVID-19), “a public health emergency of international concern”. Various unprecedented and draconian measures were imposed by the PRC Government and other governments around the world, namely, a city lockdown, travel restrictions and bans, extension of the Lunar New Year holidays, mandatory quarantine orders, border closures, etc ...
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread across the globe, disrupting lives, communities and businesses, and putting countries under considerable strain, Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen (NNDKP) has set up the COVID-19 –Legal & Tax Resource Center. Thereyou can access valuable knowledge and legal insights with respect to the implications of the coronavirus in various fields in Romania ...
At Patterson Belknap we continue to diligently monitor the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus and assess the potential legal and business issues that may arise relating to the virus. The situation is fluid, and best practices and guidelines are evolving in real time. We are closely monitoring the situation as it unfolds, and share our latest perspectives on the legal issues relating to COVID-19 below ...
The recent outbreak of 2019-nCOV, a flu-like respiratory illness better known as the Coronavirus, is causing employers to ready themselves for a variety of responses to the spread of the virus. Human Resources professionals are seeking guidance on how to promote a safe and healthy working environment without violating the rights of ill or potentially ill employees. We have some tips to help strike the right balance ...
Over the last few days, Judge Lawrence K. Marks, the Chief Administrative Judge of the New York State Unified Court System, issued two memoranda bearing on COVID-19’s effect on the Commercial Division. First, by memorandum dated March 13, 2020, Judge Marks announced that he and Chief Judge Janet DiFiore have implemented a number of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect the well-being of court personnel ...
On March 5, 2020, the Karnataka Labour Department issued a circular (“Circular”) requiring all establishments in the State to grant 28 days of paid sick leave to any employee who has been infected by the COVID-19 virus (“Coronavirus”). These precautionary measures laid out by the Government aim to prevent the spread of Coronavirus ...
The UAE authorities have been dynamic in implementing measures to control the spread of COVID-19 within the UAE. Please find below a non-exhaustive list of noteworthy measures that have been implemented by various UAE authorities to date ...
Discussing the legal concept ‘Force Majeure’ in credit agreements – if it can be called upon, it has in principle a temporary nature and does not relief you from payment obligations. In general, force majeure is an unforeseeable and unavoidable event that occurs after a credit agreement has been concluded (i.e ...
The Corona crisis is not only a huge challenge for health care, but also the consequences for the economy will be enormous. Different sectors (such as the hospitality sector and the transport sector) will not be able to overcome the difficult times we are currently facing without public support ...
The coronavirus crisis could make the ability of a business to perform pending contracts harder. Even though so-called ‘hardship’ clauses are perfectly valid and enforceable under Belgian law, hardship is not generally accepted as a principle of Belgian contract law. Until the rules on obligations of the new Civil Code, which recognise hardship, enter into force, there are exceptions and creative ways to deal with this problem ...
Following the measures announced by the Federal Government on 12 March 2020, more and more employers are considering implementing a temporary telework regime, in which employees are required to work from home. Can an employer impose such a measure and what are the implications? An employer cannot unilaterally oblige an employee to work from home, except if employees are exposed to specific health and safety related risks at work ...
EUIPO On 16 March 2020, the Executive Director of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has issued Decision No EX-20-3 extending all time limits expiring between 9 March 2020 and 30 April 2020, that affect all parties before the Office, to 1 May 2020. In principle, the new deadlines will not be communicated to the parties on a case-by-case basis ...
All shops, bars, restaurants and leisure centres will be closed at least until 6 April 2020. Only grocery stores, pet food stores, pharmacies, banks, post offices and book shops will remain open until that date insofar as the social distancing (at least 1 meter distance) can be guaranteed. Night shops can stay open until 10 pm insofar as social distancing is applied. Food stalls on markets are only allowed insofar as considered essential ...
The new virus COVID-19, also known as coronavirus, is spreading exponentially all over the world, also in Brazil. The outbreak is affecting the way in which our clients and their clients conduct their businesses, and the behavior of each and every one of us drastically. The virus is not only tragic for those, whose health is being affected, but also for large parts of the economy, such as the tourism industry, airlines and general retail (other than nutrition-related) ...
The 30-day state of emergency was proclaimed by the President of Romania, in the context of the COVID – 19 outbreak in Romania. The Decree no. 195/2020 (the “Decree”) instituting such state of emergency is effective as of 16 March 2020 and substantially impacts not only the day-to-day life, but the businesses too ...
Congress appears to have reached an agreement on legislation to provide paid family and medical leave in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the bill still must be signed into law by the President. In the interim, Pittsburgh employers should take note that the City of Pittsburgh has passed legislation that already requires most employers operating in the City to provide for the accrual of minimum amounts of sick leave effective March 15, 2020 ...
As part of Spilman's and our COVID-19 Task Force's continuing effort to partner with you during this public health emergency, we’ve been monitoring Congress’ work on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act ("Act"). This now has passed both houses and all indications are that it will be effective within weeks. Even in its short history, the bill has seen some significant changes. This is the final form ...
In order to limit the spread of COVID-19 and mitigate its effects, on 12 March 2020, the Government of the Republic of Estonia declared an emergency situation until 1 May 2020 and the Health Board recommends avoiding human contact. In this situation, implementing effective safety measures at the workplace often requires asking additional personal data, including health data from the employees ...
A panel of Bradley labor and employment and cybersecurity attorneys discuss coronavirus-related issues facing employers, including: How should you talk with your employees about the rapidly changing situation with the coronavirus and what it means for them as employees? What are the wage and hour, benefits and data security issues implicated by employees working remotely? What are the options for maintaining or reducing your workforce when the coronavirus results in supply chain int
BOTSWANA: New tax management system introduced With effect from 1 April 2020, the Botswana Unified Revenue Service is introducing a new tax management system called Lekgetho Live. Under the new system, companies’ Companies and Intellectual Property Authority (“CIPA”) numbers will be used as their tax identification number (“TIN”), whereas citizens’ TINs will consist of the letter I and their Omang number ...
In a press release today, 17 March 2020, the Department of Employment and Labour (the “Department”) appealed to employers to use the prescriptions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 in governing workplaces in relation to the Coronavirus (COVID-19). The Department has implored employers to prepare themselves and their employees as far in advance as possible for potentially worsening outbreak conditions ...
The economic climate in which many South African firms operate has meant that dismissals for operational requirements have become an inescapable concern. However are employees always entitled to severance pay? Section 41(1) of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, 1997 provides that a retrenched employee is entitled to severance pay at least equal to one week’s remuneration for every year of completed service with the employer ...
During the first months of this year, the infectious respiratory disease known as COVID-19, caused by one of the viruses that conform the coronavirus family, has been disseminated in different parts of the world. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of COVID-19 as a pandemic and issued a series of provisional recommendations ...
The Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian governments have indicated their support for the companies in the form of tax relief and liquidity support. As of 17.03.2020, the initial measures in Estonia and Latvia are expected within this week. Companies with business in Lithuania can already benefit from tax relief, with a draft law on liquidity support expected within 48 hours. Due to the exceptional circumstances created by COVID-19, many companies have had to restructure their operations ...
Short-time work is generally understood to be the temporary, foreseeable reduction in normal working hours (by at least 10% to a maximum of 90%). A special feature of Corona Immediate Assistance Short-Time Flex is that working hours can even be reduced to zero. Short-time work requires a social partner agreement and contact with the Austrian Labour Market Service (Arbeitsmarktservice – AMS) ...
