Vietnam has taken further concrete steps to combat the COVID-19 crisis as the fight enters a new stage. Some uncertainty remains as to how the steps are intended to be implemented in practice.
To read the full text of this post from Duane Morris Vietnam partner Giles T. Cooper, please visit the Duane Morris Vietnam Blog.
On March 30, 2020, the Office of the Governor of the State of Florida issued Executive Order 20-89, the most recent step taken by Governor Ron DeSantis to deal with the spread of COVID-19 throughout Florida. The order essentially directs the counties comprising South Florida (and neighboring Monroe County) to restrict public access to nonessential businesses and facilities until at least April 15, 2020. While other states adopting “stay-at-home” orders have done so on a statewide basis, this order is limited to four counties in southeast Florida. Despite calls for the governor of the country’s third-most populous state to implement the restrictions across the state, he has not done so—yet.
To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, many states are implementing increasingly strict measures to prevent further spread of the virus. These measures include travel restrictions, extended school closures and requirements that individuals stay at home except as necessary to provide certain essential business and government services. Until recently, New York state considered construction to be an essential business, as outlined in Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order 202.6.
In the wake of pressure from various labor organizations and community groups, however, Governor Cuomo issued Executive Order 202.13, dated March 29, 2020.
To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.
On Monday morning, Governor Hogan signed an Amended and Restated Executive Order to take effect at 8:00 p.m. on March 30, 2020 that requires Marylanders to stay at home except that (i) Marylanders may conduct or participate in “Essential Activities,” and (ii) staff and owners of essential businesses and organizations (as defined by a prior interpretive guidance of the governor’s office of legal counsel) may travel between their homes and such essential businesses and organizations and may travel to and from customers to deliver goods or perform services of such essential businesses and organizations. The stay-at-home order does not apply to persons whose residences have become unsafe, such as victims of domestic violence, or to persons experiencing homelessness, but governmental and other entities are strongly encouraged to make shelter available for such persons to the maximum extent practicable. Continue reading “Maryland Governor Larry Hogan Orders Marylanders to Stay at Home Except for “Essential Activities” as of 8:00 p.m. on March 30, 2020 – All Prior Executive Orders Remain in Place”
In response to the current COVID-19 pandemic, federal, state and local governments are ushering in an array of programs and tax relief measures to help mitigate the adverse economic impact of COVID-19 on business and nonprofit entities.
To read the full text of this post by Duane Morris partner Brad Molotsky, which identifies and provides an overview of available economic programs, tax relief measures, and deadline extensions for applicable Pennsylvania and Philadelphia organizations, please visit the Duane Morris Project Development/Infrastructure/P3 Blog.
By Jose Aquino
On March 23, 2020, President Trump announced that he would extend the October 1, 2020 deadline for compliance with the REAL ID Act of 2005. Under the REAL ID Act, federal agencies cannot accept state driver’s licenses or identification cards for “official purposes.” Implementation of the REAL ID Act would prohibit the use of a state ID to enter federal buildings or pass through TSA security checkpoints to board domestic flights, unless the propounded ID meets certain minimum requirements. The stated goal for extending the compliance date is to avoid potential disruption of air travel.
On March 26, 2020, the acting Secretary U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Chad Wolf announced the extension of the compliance deadline by one year, until October 1, 2021. The directive to DHS to delay the Real ID rollout until at least Sept. 30, 2021, was part of the $2 trillion stimulus package passed by Congress. A Real ID is obtainable only in-person at a state DMV office. DHS had to avoid applicants rushing to obtain compliant identification at a time of social distancing and government closure due to the nationwide outbreak of COVID-19.
Congress first enacted the Real ID Act in 2005 in response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The goal was to have secure and consistent identification documents across the nation. The original deadline, however, had to be extended for years because non-compliance by most states.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam issued an executive order on March 23, 2020, that closes dine-in restaurants and recreational/entertainment businesses, places patron number restrictions on all nonessential retail businesses, bans gatherings of 10 or more persons, and closes schools for the remainder of the school year.
To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.
District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser issued an order to take effect at 10:00 p.m. on March 25, 2020, that will close all nonessential business facilities in the District, prohibit all persons suspected or confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 from conducting “Essential Business,” and prohibit gatherings of 10 or more persons.
To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.
For many retailers, the coronavirus pandemic that has shuttered their stores and led them to lay off their staffs may not yet have a clear end in sight. But uncertain decisions lie ahead on when to reopen safely, attorneys said.
To read comments by Duane Morris partner Michelle Pardo, please visit the firm website.
On March 22, 2020, Delaware Governor John Carney issued his Fourth and Fifth Modifications of the Declaration of a State of Emergency for the State of Delaware Due to a Public Health Threat, pursuant to which he has ordered the closure of nonessential business and commercial establishments in Delaware (Nonessential Business Closure Order). The order takes effect on Tuesday, March 24, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. and remains in effect “until after May 15, 2020, or the public health threat of COVID-19 has been eliminated… .” Violations of the Nonessential Business Closure Order constitute a criminal offense.
To read the full text of this post by Duane Morris partner Richard Renck, please visit the Duane Morris Delaware Business Blog. To read the Duane Morris Alert on this topic, please visit the firm website.
