New York State has lifted most capacity restrictions on business establishments including retail, food services, gyms, fitness centers, amusement parks, entertainment, hair salons, barbershops, and offices. With some exceptions, New York State’s Reopening Guidance essentially leaves it up to each individual business to determine whether to continue to adhere to mask-wearing and social distancing requirements or to follow the CDC’s “Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People.”  

Partner Felicia Ennis provided legal context to an NBC New York report about a Brooklyn resident who was fired over not getting her vaccine because she wanted to wait to see if she can get pregnant.

Felicia Ennis was quoted in the HR Daily Advisor article, “HR Considerations for Bringing Employees Back to the Workplace,” where she discussed the human resource factors companies are considering when determining whether —and when—to bring staff back to the office.

We would like to extend our sincerest appreciation to anyone who attended yesterday's webinar, Back to Business: Navigating the New Normal with Felicia Ennis, Chair of our Employment Law practice, and Frederick Cummings, Jr., Chair of our Corporate Law practice and our Managing Partner. We hope that you found the webinar informative and that it provided a jumping-off point for your own reopening plan. If you should have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.  

View a replay of the webinar.  

Join us for a one-hour live webinar on how to welcome your employees back to work in a post-COVID-19 workplace featuring Felicia Ennis, Chair of our firm's Employment Law practice, and Fred Cummings, Chair of our Corporate practice and our Managing Partner.

Felicia Ennis, Employment Law Partner, appeared on The Law and Crime Network on March 30, 2020 (click here to watch) and April 1, 2020 (click here to watch) to talk about employment issues since the outbreak of COVID-19. She also appeared as a guest on the Dan Abrams Show on SiriusXM on April 2, 2020.  Click here to listen.  
 

Late Wednesday, the Senate unanimously approved an historic stimulus bill – the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) - to provide significant aid to the American people and businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.  

While negotiations on a Coronavirus Federal Stimulus Package continue in the Senate, many critical components of the expected package have been made public. The current consensus is that a stimulus package will be passed this week.

Federal and state legislation has now been passed to offer relief to some employees unable to work due to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 

President Donald Trump has signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”), or H.R. 6201, which had passed the Senate on March 18, 2020 by a vote of 90 to 8. 

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to evolve and government and health officials place restrictions on business operations, businesses must face difficult decisions concerning employee layoffs, reductions in work hours and business shutdowns. 

The rapid spread of COVID-19 has ratcheted up the pressure on employers to address concerns in the workplace.