U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

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As most of our readers likely know by now, on May 13, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that, “[i]f you are fully vaccinated, you can resume activities that you did prior to the pandemic.” The CDC went on the state that “[f]ully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing.”

Quite understandably, this led many U.S. businesses to wonder whether their workforces are still required to wear a mask or physically distance in the workplace – particularly because the CDC’s guidance also provides that businesses still need to be abide by applicable state and local laws, rules, and regulations concerning mask wearing and physical distancing.

New York State employers, however, need wonder no more. Just a few hours ago, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that, beginning May 19, New York will adopt the CDC’s “Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People” for most business and public settings. To implement the CDC’s guidance, New York State will be revising the following business reopening guidelines to take effect on May 19:Continue Reading BREAKING: New York adopts CDC’s loosened mask and social distancing guidance

The Empire State recently announced strict measures to protect against the spread of COVID-19 by individuals returning to New York from states experiencing a spike in cases.  Specifically, on June 24 Governor Cuomo signed Executive Order 205 (EO 205), which requires individuals returning to New York from a state that meets either of the following conditions to quarantine for a period of 14 days:

  • a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents, or
  • higher than a 10 percent test positivity rate over a seven day rolling average.

This new order comes in the wake of a recent upsurge in cases around the country and currently covers travelers returning from Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah, and Texas.  However, it is expected that this list will continue to grow, as more states see an uptick of new cases.  Any violation of a required quarantine may be deemed a violation of EO 205, resulting in a civil penalty of up to $10,000.
Continue Reading New York state further restricts eligibility for its paid quarantine leave