An update to this article is available ? The Trump Administration and representatives of Congress reached an agreement on a proposed COVID-19 economic stimulus bill, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or the CARES ACT (the “Act”). The Senate passed the Act late Wednesday, and the House of Representatives will vote on Friday. It is expected to be approved then signed into law on Friday, March 27, 2020 ...
UPDATED - Questions 12 through 18 are new to this article. We will continue to update as more frequently asked questions are posed. When Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act ("CRA"), it left much for the U.S. Department of Labor ("DOL") to explain. The DOL has started offering vital interpretations employers need to consider in making decisions over the next few weeks. 1. When does the CRA become effective? April 1, 2020. 2 ...
When Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act ("CRA"), it left much for the U.S. Department of Labor ("DOL") to explain. The DOL has started offering vital interpretations employers need to consider in making decisions over the next few weeks. 1. When does the CRA become effective? April 1, 2020. 2 ...
In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, the business community is faced with unprecedented threats to their cyber-infrastructure and data. Sensitive data, in particular, will be vulnerable to security breaches as a result of reduced human power under emergency legislation. Moreover, criminal hackers will be looking to capitalize on such vulnerabilities at a time like this ...
Thousands of disputes are dealt with by way of international arbitration every year and it is inevitable that when most countries started introducing social distancing measures, a number of arbitrations were either part heard or just about to start and will have been derailed, at least to some extent ...
Force Majeure clauses are used in many contracts in the most diverse business areas. These contractual provisions are rarely invoked in practice in Latvia, as the parties usually do not face any circumstances that could qualify as Force Majeure ...
In these difficult times, many employers are facing problems related to low demand for their services and goods and the resulting lack of work to be assigned to their employees.On the other hand, there are also employers which are currently lacking employees (for example, due to the closure of schools, which caused many employees to stay at home with their children or because employees are kept in quarantine etc.) ...
On 25 March 2020 the Slovak parliament approved relevant changes in the field of social security and employment to mitigate the effects of the outbreak of COVID-19. This new piece of legislation shall enter into force very soon immediately upon its publication in the Collection of Laws of the Slovak Republic. Allowance to Maintain Job Positions Already now certain employers may apply with the office for labour, social affairs and family for an allowance to maintain job positions ...
In some areas, intellectual property will experience a period of slowdown in activity, at least in the near future. We look at this in more detail below. However, this does not mean mandatory registration of industrial property will come to a halt because, with many bodies, including the Portuguese INPI (National Institute of Industrial Property), registration is done online ...
Amid the spread of COVID-19, the Romanian President decreed a state of national emergency in Romania, with express measures to be taken in the justice system. Although the Decree does not refer to arbitration, the state of national emergency and the need of social distancing inevitably impact it as well ...
In Michigan, additional coronavirus relief resources are available through the Michigan Small Business Relief Program established by the Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF) and administered by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) as either loans or grants. Separately from relief offered by the U.S ...
Through External Circular No. 001 of March 23, 2020, the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce (SIC) made clear that mobile phone operators and private entities in general have legal grounds to provide to the National Planning Department (DNP), as well as to public entities that so require it, personal data that is necessary to address, prevent, treat and/or control the spread of COVID-19 and mitigate its effects ...
The Ministry of Work issues a statement announcing measures for employees and employers to promote job retention ...
On March 23, 2020 the bill on Telework was finally and completely approved by the Congress and ratified by the President of Chile. Therefore, according to transitory article number 2, this law will become valid and enforceable starting April 1st 2020. This law regulates telework in the following terms: I ...
Late in the day on March 24, the DOL provided its first round of guidance regarding the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). While the guidanceprovides some clarity for employers, many important questions are left unanswered. When can employees take advantage of the benefits of the FFCRA? The FFCRA takes effect on April 1 and expires on December 31, 2020 ...
Justice systems around the world will soon be exposed to the same pressure as is currently crushing healthcare systems in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. What can judges and advocates doto “flatten the curve” and increase the resilience of the justice system as it awaits the post-pandemic wave of disputes? Healthcare systems around the globe are wobbling, and in some states collapsing under atsunami of Covid-19 cases ...
As if businesses did not have enough to worry about during this COVID-19 pandemic, it’s times like these when cybersecurity risk is at its peak. Distracted employees may be psychologically vulnerable to attack, and shifting quickly and unexpectedly to a remote workforce can create technology and control risks. It’s a perfect storm for cyber risk ...
The impact of Covid-19 is becoming more prevalent throughout the economic landscape of The Bahamas. Most recently, in an effort to contain the spread of the virus, preventative measures involving the closure of non-essential local businesses for a specified duration were introduced by the Government in exercise of its emergency powers. This has had far-reaching effects in the employment sphere ...
In recent weeks, Governments around the world have been grappling with how best to combat the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). The Bahamas is no exception. To date the Prime Minister has issued two Emergency Orders aimed at ensuring the health and safety of persons within The Bahamas ...
It is, to say the least, an overwhelming time. On 16 March 2020, the government presented a proposal for support measures to companies and employees to mitigate the effects of the corona virus. The proposal was followed on 19 March 2020, by the bill “Additional Amending Budget due to the Corona Virus”. Read this article as a PDF here ...
Employers have to face a number of issues in the current situation, some of which have data protection implications. Below you will find a brief summary of the data protection issues which are typically arising as a result of the pandemic, in a Q&A format.With regard to question no ...
As a growing number of the workforce is being affected by the COVID-19 virus, employers are being asked to respond to benefit-related questions from employees. In the coming days, the Employee Benefits Group at Hanson Bridgett will be providing updated information on possible issues arising in the benefits area through Benefits Alerts and postings on Hanson Bridgett's Online COVID-19 Resource Center ...
The coronavirus (COVID-2019)[1], which today affects more than 150 countries and territories around the world, has already had, and continues to have, a significant impact on the global economy ...
As the world changes in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, many employers will be forced to consider restructuring workforces, closing facilities and other employment-related options. But despite the unexpected nature of these difficult options, employers must nonetheless be aware of their notice requirements under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) and state mini-WARN acts ...
