COVID-19

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Under updated guidance issued by the California Department of Public Health (“CDPH”),[1] certain asymptomatic unvaccinated employees who have had a close contact exposure[2] to someone with COVID-19 may end their quarantine and return to work seven (7) days after the exposure as opposed to ten (10) days.

The CDPH guidance provides that…

Over the last several months, mandatory vaccination requirements took center stage in the public response to COVID-19, but with the play getting underway and vaccination requirements becoming operative, it is the request for religious accommodation (i.e., exemption from vaccination requirements) that may be stealing the show.

Title VII and FEHA Set the Stage…

On June 15, 2021, the State of California took a step towards returning to some normalcy when it officially reopened for business after over a year of restrictions and closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In doing so, the state announced it would be easing, for vaccinated individuals, some of the restrictions set in place…

On Monday, May 10, the Treasury Department issued the Interim Final Rule (Rule) concerning the operation of the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery (CLFR) Fund[1] and opened the portal through which qualified governmental entities, including metropolitan cities[2] and counties[3], may apply to Treasury for the direct payment of such funds.

Note: In our April 16 Special …

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the work environment in many ways, including a significant impact on employer-sponsored health benefits.  The past year has resulted in changes to how frequently individuals visit the doctor (or do not visit the doctor), purchase eligible medical expenses, and need dependent care.  In response to the pandemic, the IRS, Congress,…

As the COVID pandemic rages on, employees required to work remotely since March 2020 will continue to do so for at least a foreseeable portion of 2021. While a burden for some, the pandemic has opened endless relocation possibilities for others, allowing some remote workers to visit and stay with family, work from a vacation…

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many employers allowed some of their employees to work from home (i.e., “telecommute” or “telework”) in the interest of public health.  We are now entering our tenth month of the pandemic, and working from home has become “the new normal” for many employers and employees.  Now, as vaccines…

On January 8, the Department of Occupational and Safety (Cal/OSHA) updated its interpretive guidance concerning emergency COVID-19 regulations that took effect on November 30, 2020. The guidance reflects new information concerning employer obligations and employee entitlements under both Title 8 Sections 3205 and 3205.1, which, respectively, relate to the COVID-19 Prevention Program (CPP)[1] and workplace…

On January 6, 2021, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) updated its November 13, 2020 travel advisory concerning non-essential interstate travel and the quarantine period for individuals who engage in such travel.

The new CDPH guidance makes two important changes to its prior travel advisory including: (1) reducing the recommended self-quarantine period from 14…