Friday Coronavirus Update: Webinar Recaps, CARES Act, DOL Regulations

This pandemic is exhausting.

There’s obviously the personal: The “work from home” novelty has worn off and now comes to tough part of trying to find the boundaries of work and home.  Each day feels like it is 16 hours long (maybe because it is sometimes).

Then there’s the professional: We’ve continued to see clients with issues that they never thought they’d have to face.  Layoffs, furloughs, reduced pay & hours, and even shutdowns.  Everything has happened in just in a few weeks, it’s hard to remember the issues that seemed important even a month ago.

And there’s the laws, regulations and guidances: I cannot recall another time where the law has changed so dramatically and swiftly over such a short period of time.  For lawyers who like to think through issues, it’s been a massive undertaking.

I’ve have multiple calls with my peers at Shipman & Goodwin every day working through issues such as whether a “dentist” is a healthcare provider exempt from the EPSLA, but also attorneys across Connecticut and elsewhere to hear what they are seeing.

The expression “It Takes a Village” has never felt more true in employment law than in the last few weeks.  A special shout out to some attorneys and HR professionals I’ve spoken with just in the last week: Jon Hyman, Kate Bischoff, Jeff Nowak, Suzanne Lucas, Tracy Coenan, Marc Alifanz, Meredith Diette, Scott MacDonald, Myrna Sessa, and so many more.

So what has been going on the last few days that you might have missed?

• My colleagues and I produced a webinar on Tuesday.   You can listen to it for free here; if you’re an attorney, you can even get free CLE credit. In the webinar, we talk about strategies for employers managing this crisis, and take a look at the paid leave provisions of the FFCRA.


• On Wednesday, we released our full guidance on the CARES Act, including an in-depth look at the employment provisions.   My colleague Peter Murphy took at look at some of those changes here.


• Speaking of the CARES Act, the Treasury came out with new guidance last night; for those seeking loans, please act sooner rather than later. It’s a first-come, first-serve pool and the proceeds of the Paycheck Protection Program aren’t expected to last long.  Talk with your local bank too.


• And also speaking of the CARES Act, I’ll be participating in another webinar on the subject on Wednesday morning with Senator Chris Murphy, focusing on Fairfield County (however, it’ll be applicable to all).  Watch for details soon.


• The Department of Labor issued new regulations as I noted on Wednesday.  My colleagues and I did a deep dive into the regulations here.


• There are also a number of immigration-related issues that have been arising during this pandemic. My colleagues Brenda Eckert and Bradley Harper took at those issues here.  

Remember: It’s Friday. Be sure to take some time off over the weekend to recharge your batteries. I know I will. It’s been a long few weeks and the upcoming months look to be some of the most challenging we’ve ever faced.

Seeking out help when you need it.  Attorneys can help with the legal aspect, but there are accountants and others who can help with the financial aspects too.

It takes a village indeed.

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