Posts
July 28 2021
Client Alert: CDC Revises Mask Guidance for Fully-Vaccinated Individuals
Yesterday, the CDC announced revised mask guidance for fully-vaccinated individuals. The CDC now recommends that fully-vaccinated individuals wear a mask while indoors in public if they are in an area of “substantial” or “high” COVID-19 transmission to both maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others. The CDC made a state- and county-specific COVID-19 transmission level tracker available here. We note that while most of NYS is in the low to moderate range, NYC and Long Island are presently in the “substantial” category (with Staten Island in the “high” category).
Click here to read the alert.
July 27 2021
Client Alert: Changes to NYC Law on Consideration of Criminal History Effective July 29
Effective July 29, 2021, amendments to the NYC Fair Chance Act (FCA) will expand employment protections for job applicants and employees with criminal histories. Most notably, the amendments expand the FCA’s protection to job applicants and employees with pending arrests and criminal accusations and to existing employees with arrests and criminal convictions during employment, as well as to independent contractors.
Click here to read the alert.
July 21 2021
Client Alert: New NYC Biometric Privacy Law Now in Effect
New York City’s new “Biometric Identifier Information” law (“BII Law”) is now in effect and restricts the collection, use and sale of “biometric identifier information” by businesses in New York City. Biometric identifiers include fingerprints, retina scans, hand print scans, facial recognition, voice identification, or any other physical or biological trait that would serve to identify an individual.
Click here to read the alert.
July 13 2021
Client Alert: NY HERO Act Model Protocols and Prevention Plans Now Available
As detailed in our previous Client Alert, the New York Health and Essential Rights Act (NY HERO Act) mandates that all private sector employers adopt workplace health and safety protections in an effort to protect employees during a future airborne infectious disease outbreak. Specifically, the NY HERO Act requires private sector employers in New York to adopt a health and safety plan to protect employees from exposure to airborne infectious diseases (a “Prevention Plan”).
Click here to read the alert.
July 08 2021
Client Alert: New Protections for NYC Fast Food Workers Now In Effect
As a result of two amendments to the New York City Fair Workweek Law that are now in effect, fast food employers are now prohibited from terminating or substantially reducing the hours of their fast food employees without providing an economic or job performance-related reason. The amendments also impose a progressive discipline requirement and prescribe a procedure for conducting economic-based layoffs or reductions in hours as well as employee recalls.
Click here to read the alert.
June 18 2021
Webinar: Strategies For The Hospitality Industry In Negotiating And Drafting Event Contracts Post COVID-19
You are cordially invited to join lawyers from Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP for a complimentary webinar discussing recommended changes to your existing catering and private event contracts related to the lessons learned from the pandemic.
Click here for more information.
June 15 2021
BIG NEWS: MAJORITY OF COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS LIFTED IN NY!
The day we’ve all been waiting for is finally here! Governor Cuomo announced today that effective immediately, the state-mandated COVID-19 restrictions and requirements regarding social gathering limits, capacity restrictions, distancing, health screening, cleaning/disinfection protocols and collection of contact information for tracing purposes are lifted across almost all commercial and social settings, including food services, events (less than 5,000 people indoors), offices, buildings, personal care services, retail, malls, movie theaters, construction, manufacturing, trade, child care, and more. The state is expected to pull down obsolete industry-specific Interim Guidance shortly.
Click here to read the alert.
June 10 2021
Client Alert: New York State Updates Office & Food Services Reopening Guidelines
Yesterday, New York State updated its COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Interim Guidance for Office Based-Work and Interim Guidance for New York City Indoor Food Services. Our client alert summarizes significant updates.
Click here to read the alert.