Insights

The CDC this week issued updated COVID-19 guidance for employers, supplementing its “Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)” by adding to its cleaning and disinfecting guidelines, social distancing best practices, and strategies and recommendations to respond to the virus.

While much attention has been focused on the relief provided in the recently enacted CARES Act that targets individuals and small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, many mid-sized businesses are still waiting for help from the government. Despite expanded eligibility requirements under the CARES Act, many companies are too big to take advantage of a variety of small business loan programs.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a temporary rule Monday, April 6, 2020, that provides additional guidance on the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLEA) portions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). As we discussed in a previous blog post, the DOL has been providing additional guidance in the form of Q&As. This update summarizes the rule’s key clarifications of the FFCRA and the DOL’s updated guidance.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its guidance and on Friday, April 3, 2020, issued a recommendation on the use of cloth face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. This recommendation is a change in CDC’s prior guidance regarding the use of face coverings.

There are many issues that a business must consider when a vendor, customer or other contact files for bankruptcy protection. In anticipation of what many believe will be a tidal wave of business bankruptcies precipitated by the economic fallout from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the following Q&A addresses a few of the many common concerns businesses may have when they first learn of a bankruptcy filing.

UPDATE: These FAQs have been updated to reflect recently released guidance from the SBA on affiliation rules.