Traveling abroad for work, school or pleasure is fraught with complexities due to COVID-19 restrictions and regulations. Before employees plan international travel, it is important to be aware of travel restrictions, quarantine requirements and any travel prohibitions.
To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.
On March 2, 2021, the Department of State rescinded the previous national interest determination regarding categories of travelers eligible for exceptions under Presidential Proclamation 10143 as related to the Schengen Area, United Kingdom and Ireland. The previous national interest determination covered certain technical experts and specialists, senior-level managers and executives, treaty-traders and investors, professional athletes and their dependents.
To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.
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 travel. That 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.
On January 25, 2021, President Biden issued a presidential proclamation to maintain COVID-19 travel restrictions and entry limitations for certain individuals who are not United States citizens and who were physically present within the Schengen area, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Brazil during the 14-day period prior to their attempted entry to the United States.
To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.
Based on the increased transmissibility and spread of new strains of the virus that causes COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a new rule requiring that all air passengers arriving to the United States from a foreign country provide documentation of a negative COVID-19 test or documentation that the passenger has recovered from COVID-19.
To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.
The Duane Morris Immigration Team is dedicated to providing the most up to date information and zealous advocacy on behalf of our clients during the COVID-19 emergency. We have compiled information from various U.S. agencies on all aspects of travel, USCIS appointments, ICE activities and Removal Proceedings.
To read the full text of this post by Duane Morris partner Valentine Brown, which will be updated as changes develop, please visit the Duane Morris Immigration Blog.
New travel bans and restrictions have been announced in South Africa, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Costa Rica, Australia and Ireland. Please use the links below to read the details from partner Jet Stigter on the Duane Morris Immigration Blog.
Switzerland Responds to COVID-19; Travel Restrictions and Immigration Processing Limitations
Luxembourg COVID-19 Travel Ban and Entry Restrictions
Costa Rica Closed to Visitors until April 12; More Immigration Delays in wake of COVID-19
The ongoing worldwide outbreak of the Coronavirus has led to serious public safety concerns, restrictions, and even bans on international travel. The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by a virus (more specifically, a coronavirus) identified as the source of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China. The disease outbreak has also led to several measures by the U.S. Government to control the entry to the United States of individuals potentially exposed to the virus.
On January 31, 2020, President Trump issued a proclamation suspending and limiting entry into the U.S. as immigrants or nonimmigrants of all individuals who were physically present within the People’s Republic of China, excluding Hong Kong and Macau, during the 14-day period preceding their entry or attempted entry. The proclamation became effective at 5:00 pm (ET) on February 2, 2020.
View the full post by Duane Morris attorney Teodora Purcell on the Duane Morris Immigration Law Blog.
As the deadly coronavirus becomes a global pandemic, companies like Apple and Starbucks have stopped operating in China, and others, like Sony and Amazon, have pulled out of global trade shows like this month’s World Mobile Congress in Barcelona.
[…]
The only opportunity for an employee who contracts coronavirus to seek damages outside of workers’ compensation is if their company has behaved recklessly—such as by ordering them to Wuhan, the epi-center of the virus. According to Jonathan Segal, a partner at the law firm Duane Morris, the fact the U.S. State Department has issued a Level 4 advisory for China—a flat-out “do not travel” warning—means firms could face special liability in the event their employees contracted the virus.
[…]
“There’s the legal answer but, from a practical management point of view, you don’t want to force people who are scared into doing something,” says Neuberger.
Segal echoed this sentiment, saying “it’s a horrible message to the workforce” to order employees to travel when they are fearful of a pandemic.
[…]
To read the full text of this article, please visit the Fortune website.
