The State Taxation Administration (STA) released several announcements in the beginning of February which established preferential tax policies for facilitating the prevention and control of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and supporting enterprises to resume their business operations. Certain preferential tax treatments are specifically offered to enterprises and individuals that are directly involved in the prevention and control of the outbreak of COVID-19 ...
In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak and the World Health Organization’s declaration of this coronavirus as a pandemic, employers of all sizes have serious, and somewhat unprecedented, issues to consider. Fortunately for most employers, workers’ compensation may not be one of them ...
As each day that passes while COVID-19 spreads throughout the country, more businesses are closing their doors to protect their employees, customers, vendors, and other people with whom they come into contact. And many of them are wondering whether there is coverage for their business losses during this time. Business interruption or business income coverage is sometimes included in commercial property coverage ...
Chambers & Partners published its Practice Guide on Insurance and Reinsurance 2020. This guide provides expert legal commentary on key issues for businesses, and covers the important developments in the most significant jurisdictions ...
In terms of the spread of coronavirus COVID-19, there has been quite a lot of talk aboutforce majeureand the resulting non-performance of one’s contractual obligations. In addition toforce majeure, contract law recognises also the concept of alteration of the balance of contractual obligations (§ 97 of the Law of Obligations Act) ...
As individuals, businesses, and governments continue to take actions to mitigate or contain the worldwide impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), it is likely that performance of contracts agreed to long before the emergence of the pandemic will become difficult, if not entirely impossible ...
I. RISK TO COMPANIES FROM THE IMPACTS OF THE CORONA PANDEMIC The corona pandemic leads to a decline in sales revenues worldwide. Demand is plummeting. At the same time, supply chains in the globally networked economy are no longer reliable. Obligations to pay compensation for the inability to supply are impending, particularly in cases of no-fault supply guarantees. The liquidity and therefore the continued existence of many companies are at risk ...
Insurance companies ensure uncertain risks of individuals that may arise in the future and cover such risks with the premiums of the insured community. Once the risk has already occurred or is about to occur immediately and one does not have taken out insurance already, it is not possible to get insurance cover anymore ...
On Friday, March 13, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced several waivers of existing Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) regulations pursuant to Section 1135(b) of the Social Security Act, including the waiver of certain Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) obligations and Medicare conditions of participation during the COVID-19 pandemic ...
Introduction COVID-19 poses great challenges, especially for cross-border M&A transactions and capital market deals. In the last five years or so, the M&A sector has seen a strong seller's market in which sellers have been able to generate high selling prices and enforce contractual arrangements in their favour. This will likely change rapidly now ...
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) ...
As each day that passes while COVID-19 spreads throughout the country, more businesses are closing their doors to protect their employees, customers, vendors, and other people with whom they come into contact. And many of them are wondering whether there is coverage for their business losses during this time. Business interruption or business income coverage is sometimes included in commercial property coverage ...
Two schools of thought have emerged on business interruption insurance coverage for coronavirus, either (a) it is a total panacea that will shift the risk of coronavirus revenue losses to insurance carriers or (b) there is no possible coverage for losses caused by coronavirus. As with most things in life and insurance, the truth lies somewhere in between and will depend on the specific policy at issue and the jurisdiction interpreting the policy ...
Amidst continuing COVID-19 concerns, regulators issued certain waivers of HIPAA requirements and penalties as well as additional guidance applicable during this public health emergency. HIPAA Enforcement Discretion for Telehealth ...
We have been in the UAE helping clients manage and survive crises for 45 years, and these are unprecedented times in our lives. We will have to work together to overcome the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, and we at Afridi & Angell are ready to do our part. Until the end of March, we will offer free advice on legal issues affecting companies and employers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic ...
The global health alert triggered by the spread of the new coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease COVID-19, is creating great challenges for companies. Governments around the world are tackling the situation by approving drastic measures to try to mitigate the effects of the health crisis first and the economic crisis second ...
In a unanimous decision, the Texas Supreme Court held on March 20, 2020 that an insurance policy’s omission of an express duty to defend “groundless, false or fraudulent” claims does not preclude application of the Eight-Corners Rule. InJanet Richards, et al. v. State Farm Lloyds, No. 19-0802, ___ S.W.3d ___ (Tex ...
I. Regulation In the context of the declaration of a State of Catastrophe, the National Customs Service (“NCS”) issued Exempt Resolution No. 1,179 dated March 18, 2020, by means of which the NCS adopted 13 measures to facilitate foreign and domestic trade operations electronically, and to protect the health of people involved in such operations ...
In this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are many questions about insurance coverage. Because each policy is different, it is very difficult to generalize about insurance coverage. However, one thing we know to be true is that policyholders or insureds will be advocating for losses, primarily business losses, to be covered, while the insurance companies will be arguing the insurance policies preclude coverage either due to policy definitions or due to policy exclusions ...
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 ...
With the coronavirus outbreak, attention has been focused on the Defense Production Act of 1950 (“DPA”)[1], a statute dating back to the time of the Korean War, which authorizes the President in times of national emergency to: Make direct purchases and purchase commitments of critical supplies and services; Interrupt the normal flow of goods, even when under contract, by requiring U.S ...
Obligation of Czech employers to protect employees from coronavirusPursuant to Section 106 (1) of the Labour Code, an employee has the right be assured of occupational health and safety protection at work (hereinafter referred to as "OHS"), even during a pandemic.Regarding prevention, the provision in section 102 of the Labor Code remains paramount ...