No Mask, No Travel: Federal Penalties in Place for Failure to Wear Masks on Planes, Public Transportation and Ride-Hailing Vehicles

On January 29, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a federal public health emergency order requiring all persons to wear a mask over their mouth and nose when traveling into and within the United States. Persons who fail to comply with this order, which took effect February 1, 2021, will be in violation of federal law and could face criminal or civil penalties.

To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.

Webinar: Mitigating Civil and Criminal Antitrust Risks During a Pandemic and the “New Normal”

Duane Morris will be hosting the webinar, “Mitigating Civil and Criminal Antitrust Risks During a Pandemic and the ‘New Normal,’” on February 25, 2021, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Eastern.

This is the third session of the Duane Morris COVID-19: Navigating Forward Webinar Series. For more information and the registration link, please visit the firm website.

UK: Employee Travel During COVID-19 Lockdown

Can an employee be disciplined for going on an ‘illegal’ foreign holiday during the current lockdown regime?

The stating point is the current government guidance on travelThat guidance begins by stating unambiguously as follows:

‘’Under current UK COVID-19 restrictions, you must stay at home. You must not travel, including abroad, unless you have a legally permitted reason to do so. It is illegal to travel abroad for holidays and other leisure purposes.’’ It continues ‘’ It is illegal to travel abroad for holidays and other leisure purposes.’’

So far so clear.

To read the full text of this post by Duane Morris partner Nic Hart, please visit the Duane Morris London Blog.

OSHA Issues Comprehensive COVID-19 Guidance with More Likely to Come

On January 21, 2021, President Biden signed an Executive Order on Protecting Worker Health and Safety. Pursuant to the executive order, OSHA issued guidance on January 29, 2021 that includes extensive information for structuring and implementing an effective COVID-19 Prevention Program to protect their workforces.

The guidance states that it is “advisory.” However, failure to follow the guidance may expose employers to, among other risks, OSHA citations and substantial penalties for violating the OSHA general duties clause. In this regard, the executive order calls for increased OSHA enforcement and the guidance is a starting point for such enforcement.

To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.

Economic Aid Act Brings Further Changes to Paycheck Protection Program and Loan Forgiveness Time Frames

On January 19, 2021, the Treasury Department and Small Business Administration (SBA) released an interim final rule discussing changes to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness requirements and loan review process as amended by the Economic Aid Act signed into law on December 27, 2020. The interim final rule discusses a variety of topics, primarily summarizing changes made to the PPP loan forgiveness requirements and loan review process and restating the regulations issued pursuant to the CARES Act and Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act.

To read the full text of this Alert, which discusses the key takeaways from the interim final rule and provides a list of the changes that will affect both PPP borrowers and PPP lenders following passage of the Economic Aid Act, please visit the firm website.

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The opinions expressed on this blog are those of the author and are not to be construed as legal advice.

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