Coronavirus (COVID-19)

June 18, 2020June 18, 2020 by Duane Morris

Meals for Healthcare Heroes – Wilmington, DE

On Thursday, June 18, Duane Morris’ Wilmington office provided meals from Olympic Subs and Steaks to healthcare workers on the front lines at ChristianaCare. We were able to provide meals for two units, including the COVID-19 unit. This is part of our firmwide initiative Meals for Healthcare Heroes. This program is funded by donations from Duane Morris attorneys and staff and is meant to honor the healthcare workers and support local restaurants. Duane Morris’ COVID-19 Strategy Team will be hosting 15 Meals for Healthcare Heroes events nationwide.

Delivery was made by Sharon Caffrey and Richard Renck.

June 17, 2020 by Duane Morris

Meals for Healthcare Heroes – San Francisco

On Friday, June 12, Duane Morris’ San Francisco office provided meals from West of Pecos to healthcare workers on the front lines at Laguna Honda Hospital. This is part of our firmwide initiative Meals for Healthcare Heroes. This program is funded by donations from Duane Morris attorneys and staff and is meant to honor the healthcare workers and support local restaurants.

Duane Morris’ COVID-19 Strategy Team will be hosting 15 Meals for Healthcare Heroes events nationwide.

June 16, 2020September 3, 2020 by Duane Morris

COVID-19, Business Interruption Insurance and Direct Physical Damage under New York Law

To date, approximately 150 business-interruption insurance coverage lawsuits have been filed in federal courts arising from COVID-19 and related government-ordered restrictions. In what appears to be the first substantive ruling on the merits in these cases, the Southern District of New York recently ruled against an insured who could not meet its burden to show a likelihood of success in establishing “property damage” due to the novel coronavirus to support its claim for injunctive relief. Judge Caproni expressed sympathy “for every small business that is having difficulties during this period of time,” but concluded that “New York law is clear” in requiring actual property damage to trigger business interruption coverage. Because the insured’s coverage theory rested on a government shutdown in the absence of any property damage, the Court denied its preliminary injunction motion, reasoning “this is just not what’s covered under these insurance policies.”

To read the full text of this post by Duane Morris attorneys Damon Vocke and David T. McTaggart, please visit the Duane Morris Insurance Law Blog.

June 16, 2020 by Duane Morris

Confirmed U.S. Cases of SARS-CoV-2 in Animals Updated by USDA

On June 10, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) provided an update to the list of cases of SARS-CoV-2 that have been confirmed by the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratories.

To read the full text of this post by Duane Morris partner John Simpson, please visit the Duane Morris Animal Law Developments Blog.

June 15, 2020August 31, 2020 by Duane Morris

Gatherings of Up to 25 People Allowed in Phase III Regions in New York and Western New York to Enter Phase III Tomorrow

By Minhee Lee

Governor Cuomo announced today that global public health experts have given Western New York the green light to enter Phase III reopening, joining five other New York regions already in Phase III— Central New York, the Finger Lakes, the Mohawk Valley, the North Country, and the Southern Tier. The Capital Region, which encompasses Albany, the state capital, is on track to follow suit on Wednesday, June 17. Gatherings of up to 25 people will also be permitted in regions currently in or entering Phase III. This is an expansion from the previous restriction of 10 people.

The benchmark numbers continue to go down according to the press release—the three-day average on COVID-19 related hospitalizations and fatalities has hit the lowest point since the beginning of the pandemic. Only 1.1% of 56,611 tests that took place across the state yesterday came back positive. Even in New York City, the state’s COVID-19 epicenter, the testing came back positive at a rate of 1.3% on Sunday, down from 1.4% on Saturday, and 1.7% on Friday. New York City is currently in Phase I.

June 15, 2020 by Duane Morris

Meals for Healthcare Heroes – Austin

On Friday, June 12, Duane Morris’ Austin office provided meals from Rudy’s to healthcare workers on the front lines at St. David’s Medical Center. This is part of our firmwide initiative Meals for Healthcare Heroes. This program is funded by donations from Duane Morris attorneys and staff and is meant to honor the healthcare workers and support local restaurants. Duane Morris’ COVID-19 Strategy Team will be hosting 15 Meals for Healthcare Heroes events nationwide.

Duane Morris’ Tom Sankey and Paige Moreno assisted with the delivery in Austin.

June 15, 2020 by Duane Morris

Sniffer Dogs May Detect SARS-CoV-2 in Humans, Study Suggests

Researchers at the National Veterinary School in Alfort, France, recently made available an un-refereed pre-print of a proof-of-concept study that suggests that the axillary perspiration (i.e., underarm sweat) of humans infected with SARS-CoV-2 emits an odor that detection dogs can be trained to detect. The work has not yet been peer-reviewed, but it offers some interesting results.

To read the full text of this post by Duane Morris partner John Simpson, please visit the Duane Morris Animal Law Developments Blog.

June 15, 2020August 31, 2020 by Duane Morris

Paternalistic Employers, Beware: EEOC Addresses Employer Concerns for Workplace Safety via Mandated Accommodations

On June 11, 2020, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released additional Q&As in “What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws.” As businesses reopen during the COVID-19 pandemic, employers continue to grapple with how to safely return employees to the workforce, particularly those employees with certain underlying conditions identified by the CDC, as well as pregnant employees and those over the age of 65.

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

June 15, 2020August 31, 2020 by Duane Morris

Small Business Administration Releases Rules Following Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act

On June 11, 2020, the Treasury Department and Small Business Administration (SBA) released a new interim final rule, which revises the earlier interim final rule released on April 2, 2020, and incorporates revisions to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) under the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act signed into law on June 5, 2020.

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

June 15, 2020 by Duane Morris

UK Government Flexible Furlough Scheme – New Guidance

The Government Guidance for the new Flexible Furlough Scheme (FFS) was released on 12 June. Accessibility to the new Guidance is not the most straightforward as the information is spread across the existing CJRS Guidance and three new pieces of Guidance. The Government has also produced a summary overview of the key changes to the CJRS and the timetable for the same.

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