COVID 19 Update 6
White House Request | Respond by 12:00 p.m. EDT Tomorrow
Tonight, the White House asked the NAM and its affiliates (the Council of Industry) to “reach out to [our] members” to identify their capabilities to step up and help the United States during this all-hands-on-deck crisis. The administration is seeking volunteers who can donate and provide and/or produce within two weeks large-scale quantities of critical supplies to help the nation respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Please complete this brief survey relating to your ability to produce critical medical supplies. Due to the urgency of the request for information, Responses are required by 12:00 p.m. EDT tomorrow, Wednesday.
If you have any questions about this survey or other COVID-19-related issues, please email the NAM’s COVID-19 response team.
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Be Aware of the EEOC’s Guidance on Pandemics
In general, the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits employers from making disability-related inquiries and requiring medical examinations of employees, except under certain limited circumstances. In 2009, during the H1N1 pandemic, the EEOC issued guidance regarding compliance with these legal requirements that can be a useful tool for employers to consult during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the EEOC’s guidance, employers may send an employee home if the employee displays symptoms at work. Employers may also ask employees who report feeling ill at work or who call in sick whether they are experiencing symptoms that are consistent with COVID-19. If so, they should be directed to remain out of work until they provide a medical clearance to return.
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NY Fed Supplemental Survey: Service Firms See Particularly Widespread Fallout from Coronavirus
Supplemental questions in the March 2020 Empire State Manufacturing Survey and Business Leaders Survey focused on observed effects, thus far, of the novel Coronavirus on various aspects of business. The survey was in the field from March 2 to March 10.
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COVID-19 Pandemic Poses Complex HR Policy Questions – Accounting Firm Goldstein Lieberman & Company LLC Offers a Nice Summary
Questions from employers and employees about coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic are multiplying almost as fast as the virus itself. Employers need to rely on a combination of authoritative legal and medical advice, and their own common sense, to keep employees safe.
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Chinese companies get back to work — but with stricter rules
The Financial Times reports that coronavirus measures such as anti-crowding restrictions in elevators offer a road map for global peers.
