In their attempt to reduce the spread of the new coronavirus pandemic of COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, governments throughout the European Union have imposed unparalleled measures with a strong impact on travel and economic activity. As the rate of new coronavirus infections started dropping across the European Union, governments and EU officials are looking for lockdown exit strategies and methods for boosting the currently stagnant economy ...
This is a briefing on the following issuances as of May 10, 2020 in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic: A. Suspension of Periods to File Applications and Other Documents with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) B. Issuances Supplementing the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases’ (IATF) Omnibus Guidelines on Community Quarantine (Omnibus Guidelines) C ...
Phased reopening of the economy is beginning all over the country. Unfortunately, there is no consistent or uniform way in which reopening is being handled. Every business should closely review not only state-level restrictions as they reopen but also local-level restrictions and federal guidance as well. Compliance with these requirements is not only important from a regulatory standpoint but also may help limit liability ...
This sixth edition of Unprecedented, our weekly update on COVID-19 litigation, sees us reporting on many of the same types of cases. Consumers continue to seek refunds for goods and services that have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with colleges and universities being a particular target. Consumers also have targeted retailers for alleged price-gouging behavior ...
On May 11, 2020, the Peruvian Government enacted Legislative Decree No. 1510 (“Legislative Decree”) which delays the entry into force of the new prior merger control regime approved by Urgent Decree Nº 013-2019 (“Urgent Decree”) until March 1, 2021 and the approval of the Urgent Decree’s regulations, originally expected by May, 2020, until November, 2020 ...
As the White House and state and local governments begin to assess business re-opening measures in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, employers are evaluating how to transition employees back to the physical workplace. As a threshold matter, employers must assess applicable state and local governmental orders for restrictions, timing, and guidelines regarding business re-opening, as the lifting of shelter-in-place orders and re-opening measures will vary by region and industry ...
Effective March 27, 2020, the Ohio Legislature passed House Bill 197 as a direct response to Governor Mike DeWine’s executive order earlier that month. How has HB 197 changed Ohio workers’ compensation? Two main ways: permitting public meetings and “tolling” deadlines. PUBLIC MEETINGS Section 12 of HB 197 permits government agencies to convene via video conference through Dec. 1, 2020 (unless the COVID-19 emergency ends prior to that date) ...
What is the Public Service Obligation (PSO)? Whose obligation is it? What is the realization of the PSO? Some of us may not be familiar with the PSO and what actually means for a country. This article provides a general understanding of the PSO and particularly, how the PSO can affect us directly. First things first, what is the PSO? The PSO is a concept commonly adopted by all nations and as you might guess, it is the obligation of the government to serve the public ...
Amendments to the Operating License Framework Act and the General Administrative Procedure Act are approved Today, May 10, Legislative Decree No. 1497 has been published, a standard that approves measures to promote and facilitate regulatory conditions that contribute to reduce the impact on the economy due to the health emergency caused by COVID-19, for which the Operating License Framework Act and the General Administrative Procedure Act have been amended accordingly ...
On 30 April 2020, the European Commission adopted three implementing regulations allowing temporary derogations from the strict cartel prohibition provided for by EU competition law in three specific agricultural sectors: dairy, potato and live plants and flowers. The latter sector is said to broadly cover “live trees and other plants, bulbs, roots and the like, cut flowers and ornamental foliage” ...
To limit the spread of Covid-19, all indoor and outdoor private and public cultural, festive, recreational, leisure and sport activities /events are prohibited until at least 10 May 2020 (included). Sport activities without physical contact and with a maximum of three persons are already allowed from 4 May 2020. Museums might be allowed to re-open from 18 May 2020 under strict conditions ...
On May 06, 2020 the National Hydrocarbons Commission (“CNH) published in the Federal Official Gazette an administrative resolution declaring the extension of the suspension of all terms and proceedings before such authority until May 31, 2020. The above determination was made considering the sanitary emergency that Mexico and the world is facing in connection with the disease known as coronavirus or COVID-19 ...
On April 29, 2020, the National Center of Energy Control (“CENACE”) released an administrative resolution (the “Resolution”) to guarantee the efficiency, reliability, quality, continuity and safety of the Electric National System due to the pandemic disease COVID-19 ...
On April 28, 2020, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Department of Labor, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Department of the Treasury (the “Agencies”) signed a joint notification of relief, which was published in the Federal Register on May 4, 2020 (the “Notice”) ...
Key Points Cupertino Vallco Mall Project clears major hurdle thanks to California court's denial of writ of mandate petition from anti-housing group. Another favorable SB 35 ruling may embolden further use of the procedure for streamlining housing development in California ...
Key Points Facilities will have until the week ending June 7, 2020 to report specific COVID-19 data to the CDC or face the assessment of deficiencies and CMPs. Facilities are now required to notify residents, their representatives, and families when the facility has a confirmed COVID-19 infection or 3 instances of new onset respiratory symptoms within 72 hours ...
In addition to proceeds from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (“SBA”) Payment Protection Program and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (“CMS”) Accelerated and Advance Payment Program, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (“HHS”) recently deposited $80 billion into health care providers’ bank accounts as part of its Provider Relief Fund ...
Among the many extraordinary measures taken by the federal government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is the issuance of blanket waivers of certain provisions of the federal self-referral prohibition commonly known as the Stark Law. The waivers loosen significant restrictions on physician financial relationships in an effort to provide health care providers with greater flexibility to meet the challenges of the pandemic ...
Among the many extraordinary measures taken by the federal government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is the issuance of blanket waivers of certain provisions of the federal self-referral prohibition commonly known as the Stark Law. The waivers loosen significant restrictions on physician financial relationships in an effort to provide health care providers with greater flexibility to meet the challenges of the pandemic ...
Marijuana’s legal status has flummoxed industry observers for more than a decade. Several current proposals could provide clarity at the federal level. And Alabama appeared to be on the brink of implementing a medical marijuana regime just before the COVID-19 pandemic ground the legislative process to a halt ...
The landmark CARES Act provides many Alabama employers with several options to increase liquidity and cash flow during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. And only nine days before that legislation was enacted, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) also created two other payroll tax-related incentives for certain employers, and self-employed individuals ...
At its Voting Meeting today the Commission adopted a new standard offer contract available to any Qualifying Facility (QF) of 20 megawatts or less seeking to sell electricity to a Commission-jurisdictional utility pursuant to the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA). Under PURPA, Commission-jurisdictional utilities must provide QFs the option of executing any existing PURPA contract for which they qualify ...
In the context of the Covid-19 legislative process, entities representing the social economy or what is often known as the third sector have already benefited from some consideration by the legislature. Certain legal arrangements have been drawn up to identify the needs and protect against the weaknesses of this charitable / socially supportive economic cluster ...
On 5 March, the CMVM published Regulation 2/2020 on the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, to provide the regulations under Law 83/2017 of 18 August. The CMVM did this as the sector regulator responsible for supervising financial entities including investment companies, investment fund management companies, venturecapital companies, and securitisation companies ...
On May 1, 2020, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order declaring a national emergency with respect to threats to the U.S. bulk-power system posed by the unrestricted supply of bulk power equipment by persons owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of a foreign adversary, presumably including China, a source for many of the components impacted by the Executive Order ...
