Wednesday Coronavirus Recap: New Leave Law and Rising Restrictions

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.  In record time.

Normally, I would recap those types of things here but everyone (including, to be fair, my lawfirm) has already recapped it so I have little to add.  That said, you can and should read my firm’s recap here. 

What else transpired on Wednesday that Connecticut employers need to be aware of?

• Another day, another executive order — this one titled “7F” (quick question: What happens after 7Z? Let’s hope we don’t have to get there). This one closed recreational facilities such as bowling alleys and zoos.  Expect more closures in the coming days.


• Access Health CT announced that it was having a special enrollment period starting on Thursday, March 19th.  You may want to tell employees (or laid off workers) of this option and get as many people on the insurance rolls as possible.


• If you haven’t see it yet, Connecticut has also put up a centralized website on the COVID-19 panemic. I find it useful to have one place to look for Executive Orders, daily updates and more.  Worth a bookmark.


• I’ve had a number of quesitons about unemployment.  I’ve pointed several to the FAQ released by the Connecticut DOL a few days ago that I previously cited. If you haven’t see it yet, you can access it here. It has links in the document too.


• Employers here should start reviewing the “shelter-in-place” rules that have gone into effect in San Francisco and some other counties in California. I have little doubt that some version of that is in the cards for New York and Connecticut sometime soon.  There are exceptions for essential businesses but those exceptions are far less than you might think; even Tesla was asked to shutdown.

Employers should review all of the leave provisions passed by Congress and signed by the President.  The provisions go into effect on April 2.

The post Wednesday Coronavirus Recap: New Leave Law and Rising Restrictions appeared first on Connecticut Employment Law Blog.