Vaccines

The City of Philadelphia announced new masking restrictions on August 11. Beginning at 12:01 a.m. on August 12, indoor businesses and institutions in Philadelphia must either require masks for employees and customers or verify that everyone is fully vaccinated. For businesses that do not require proof of vaccination, all customers and employees must wear masks,…

Effective September 7, 2021, staff in New Jersey’s public and private health care facilities and congregate settings deemed “high risk” must receive the COVID-19 vaccine or, alternatively, be subject to COVID-19 testing one to two times per week.  A list of the type of impacted facilities is available here.

By September 7, health care…

Below are a number of significant developments related to COVID-19 that impact businesses of all sizes, across industries:

DOJ Says Vaccine Mandates Not Prohibited by EUA

This week, the Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) released to the public, a memo dated July 6, 2021. The memo can be found here and…

In a closely-watched case that may be a preview of other court decisions involving COVID-vaccination mandates for students returning to school and employees returning to the workplace, a federal district court has denied a request to enjoin Indiana University’s COVID-19 vaccine policy for students. The policy includes a requirement that students provide documentation proving that…

With California set to lift nearly all masking and social distancing requirements on June 15, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (“Cal/OSHA”) has placed the burden on employers with unvaccinated workers to continue to have them masked.  On Thursday June 3, Cal/OSHA approved a rule (effective June 15th) that allows workers to go…

Please join us on June 10, 2021 for Ballard Spahr’s annual in-depth program highlighting key issues and developments in labor and employment law from 2020 and 2021. This year’s virtual program will cover the latest state and national legal developments, hot topics related to HR compliance including vaccination challenges, and how HR can be prepared …

Today, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) substantially augmented its technical assistance questions and answers related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the application of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other federal equal employment opportunity laws. It also released a new document targeted at employees and job applicants that explains how federal anti-discrimination…

Just in time for Memorial Day weekend, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has signed Executive Order 242, removing many of the state’s remaining COVID-19 restrictions. This Executive Order recognizes the marked progress New Jersey has made in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, both in the declining number of COVID-19 cases and the percentage of State…

On May 13, 2021 the CDC overhauled its guidance, stating that fully vaccinated people can resume most of their pre-pandemic activities without wearing a mask or social distancing. This includes indoor and outdoor gatherings, regardless of size. The CDC does still recommend that fully vaccinated people wear a mask while using public transportation and…