On October 8, 2021, the Douglas County Health Department—which recently separated from the Tri-County Health Department that covered Douglas, Adams and Arapahoe Counties—issued a public health order relating to COVID-19 mitigation protocols.
Under the governor's order, no entity in Texas can “compel” any individual, including any employee or consumer, to receive a COVID-19 vaccination who objects “for any reason of personal conscience, based on a religious belief, or for medical reasons.”
California is at it again – adopting a host of new labor and employment laws that will further regulate and complicate business operations in the Golden State. This article briefly summarizes the new laws, most of which take effect on January 1, 2022.
Employers that want to rely on the app would do well to draw up a policy covering the measures for providing a safe workplace. If it is necessary to know who has been vaccinated, tested and/or who has recovered, the use of the app likely is justifiable.
On September 23, 2021, the New York State Department of Labor updated its requirements for face coverings contained in its model airborne infectious disease exposure prevention plan.
On September 17, Cal/OSHA released for discussion initial draft text for proposed permanent COVID-19 regulations, which if adopted would be subject to renewal or expiration after two years, and would replace the current Emergency Temporary Standards.
In recent weeks, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has signaled efforts to increase its scrutiny of work activities that may expose workers to heat-related hazards.
The Maine Department of Labor announced on September 17, 2021 that the state’s public sector employees will be subject to President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate due to Maine’s state plan agreement with the federal government.