On January 27, 2021, Governor Northam announced that he had approved a Final Permanent Standard for preventing COVID-19 in the workplace, making Virginia the first state in the nation to implement a permanent COVID-19 workplace safety and health standard.
On January 26, 2021, Los Angeles County and Sonoma County, California voted on whether and how to expand and extend their supplemental paid sick leave ordinances that expired at the end of 2020.
On January 5, 2021, the UK government’s guidance was updated to clarify that employers may (but are not required to) furlough employees who have caring responsibilities for children who are at home as a result of school and childcare facilities closing.
On January 22, 2021, after two months of stringent lockdown orders, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) issued a new epidemic order significantly relaxing gathering restrictions.
The NY DOL has issued new guidance that seeks to clarify the benefits available to all employees (except those in the healthcare industry) under the NY COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave Law.
On January 14, 2021, Ontario announced the start of a workplace health and safety inspection blitz of big-box stores in certain cities. A week later, it expanded this program to additional business sectors.
2021 brings new questions for Canadian employers; the most challenging of all is whether, in the unprecedented circumstance of a global pandemic, they can require their employees to be vaccinated.
On January 19, 2021, Oakland, California’s city council enacted an emergency ordinance extending and modifying its existing emergency paid sick leave (EPSL) ordinance.
