This morning, my firm put out an urgent alert regarding what businesses need to know about Executive Order 7H over the weekend. My department’s collective guidance is included in that alert so I recommend it highly to you all.
You can find all of our alerts here.
The following is a portion of the alert
The news late Friday was not unexpected. The Governor is shutting down the offices of non-essential businesses including non-profits.
But if I had told you two weeks ago that Connecticut would be issuing an order telling non-essential businesses that their offices would have to close, I’m not sure I would’ve had many believers.
And yet,
Thursday brought still another busy day of news as increased testing in Connecticut brought a big jump in numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases.
We’re starting to hear about employers considering furloughing employees instead of simply laying them off.
(Though the numbers of layoffs in Connecticut is over 54,000 — since Friday.)
Wednesday was supposed to be the first day of vacation for me and my family in Florida.
Instead, I spent it at home helping clients run from one crisis to another.
It’s pretty amazing how quickly all of our lives have changed so dramatically.
Also amazing: Congress passed major legislation on leave related to COVID-19.
Before I do a recap, I want to share a hopeful tidbit. My friend Tim plays the bagpipes. For the last few years, St. Patrick’s Day (and the weekend) is his favorite time because his band rents a bus and tours pubs across Connecticut.
Suffice to say, there was no pub crawl yesterday.
But after
Monday, March 16th was brutal.
I kept using that word over and over in conversations with employers who are watching their entire business disappear overnight.
Brutal.
Layoffs — at a scale that I think is difficult to comprehend — are sweeping through Connecticut businesses.
Restaurants? Closed (except for takeout or delivery).
Gyms? Closed.
Movie theaters?
For those that have seen the trends in France, Spain, Italy and more, it seems clear that we’re about to enter a new phase of this coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic here in Connecticut: Lockdown.
As businesses can and must plan their workplaces for worst-case scenarios, it’s important to first understand that the term lockdown isn’t entirely
Fun fact: There was no class on pandemics in law school.
Sure, we briefly joked about the power that Governors and Presidents COULD exert in case of an emergency but it was mostly in the context of nuclear war and talking about how a Secretary of Commerce could become President (yes, this was way before
Late on Friday, March 13, 2020, the Connecticut Department of Labor issued new FAQ for employees and employers dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some of this may be repetitive of what I and others have posted before, but I thought it would be helpful to provide both a link to the materials but also some
Wednesday felt like a breaking point. The day when COVID-19 seemed to come out from under your office desk and said “You’re surrounded. Go home.”
NBA – Suspending its season indefinitely.
Schools in Fairfield County – Closed with the likelihood that more schools will follow soon.
Tom Hanks – Another COVID-19 victim.
Of course, this