Coronavirus (COVID-19)

So You Think This COVID Thing Has Ended? Not So Fast! 5 Tips for Employers to Prepare for Cold, Flu, and COVID Season

by Fisher Phillips in Coronavirus (COVID-19), Human Resources, Safety & Security. Posted September 6, 2024

For many businesses, the pandemic seems like a distant memory, but COVID-19 is not entirely behind us. Indeed, as the cold and flu season approaches, the CDC predicts that COVID-19 cases will increase across the country. Such surges have already started to impact workforces, making now a good time to review and update your COVID-19 ...

What Hospitality Operators Need to Know About Planned Workplace Vaccine Mandates

by HospitalityLawyer.com in Coronavirus (COVID-19), Human Resources, Legal, Risk Management, Safety & Security. Posted September 25, 2021

Many businesses were already implementing vaccine mandates, especially with the onset of the Delta Variant, and now the trend will be further accelerated with President Biden announcing plans to mandate that all employers with more than 100 workers require employees to be vaccinated or test for the virus weekly earlier this month. The following video ...

5-Step Plan for Employers After President Biden Announces Workplace Vaccine Mandates

by Fisher Phillips in Coronavirus (COVID-19), Human Resources, Legal. Posted September 18, 2021

In arguably the most far-reaching move of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden administration announced yesterday that federal workplace safety officials will soon issue a rule that will require all employers with 100 or more employees to either ensure their workers are vaccinated or require unvaccinated employees to produce a weekly negative test result before coming ...

Unmasking the Challenges: 7 Options for Managing a Partially Vaccinated Workforce

by Fisher Phillips in Coronavirus (COVID-19), Human Resources, Risk Management. Posted June 29, 2021

Now that most states, the CDC, and OSHA have (or may soon) lift mask mandates for vaccinated workers, what is an employer to do about revealing an employee’s vaccination status? Under any relaxed masking guidance applicable to those who are fully vaccinated, customers, visitors, and co-workers are likely to draw their own conclusions about the vaccination status ...

Ghost Kitchens: Casper or Beetlejuice?

by David Denney in Coronavirus (COVID-19), Food & Beverage. Posted June 24, 2021

Introduction. Third-party delivery, in just a few short years, changed the face of the food and beverage industry as we’ve known it. Ghost Kitchens are, simply put, cooking facilities producing food and beverages only for delivery or take out. There is no dine in option. Pre-COVID, ghost kitchens were few and far between, created by ...

Employers May Be Able To Scrap Mask Mandates For Fully Vaccinated Workers: A 7-Step Blueprint to Overcome Risks and Hurdles

by Fisher Phillips in Coronavirus (COVID-19), Human Resources, Risk Management. Posted June 15, 2021

The announcement [last month] from the CDC that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance in any non-healthcare setting was a welcome relief for all Americans and a hopeful sign that we have turned a significant corner with the COVID-19 pandemic. But the announcement included an important caveat – ...

Your State No Longer Requires Face Coverings in the Workplace – But Should You Continue To Mandate Them?

by Fisher Phillips in Coronavirus (COVID-19), Legal, Safety & Security. Posted June 3, 2021

As the COVID-19 pandemic (mercifully) starts to retreat, many states have begun rolling back face-covering mandates, which often relieve employers of the obligation to require masks for employees and visitors in the workplace. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) still recommends their use in most workplaces, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) ...

Your Employees Are Vaccinated – Now What?

by Fisher Phillips in Coronavirus (COVID-19), Human Resources, Legal. Posted May 29, 2021

COVID-19 vaccinations passed the 200-million mark in the United States last [month], which means certain workforces might have the majority of employees fully vaccinated. In recent months, we’ve discussed guidance from the EEOC and California’s DFEH regarding COVID-19 vaccine mandates, vaccine incentives, tracking employee vaccinations, and even vaccine passports. However, the question remains — what measures can employers take once employees are ...

How The Pandemic Re-Shaped Force Majeure

by Eckert Seamans in Coronavirus (COVID-19), Insurance & Loss Prevention, Legal. Posted April 22, 2021

When COVID-19 began its swift spread in the winter of 2019 and on a more global scale in the early spring of 2020, it did not take long for the term “force majeure” to dominate discussions, especially within the hospitality industry. Who could have predicted its extensive global economic impact? Think about the massive shutdowns, ...

5 Steps to De-escalating Mask Refusal

by HospitalityLawyer.com in Coronavirus (COVID-19), Risk Management, Safety & Security. Posted March 18, 2021

With some states reopening and lifting mask mandates, the burden is falling on hotels, restaurants, and other businesses to enforce mask requirements. By now, there have been a number of well-documented incidents wherein customers and guests react in a belligerent, hostile, or even violent manner after being asked to comply with mask rules. The following ...