COVID-19 Updates & Resources

A variety of factors in your life (and your family’s lives) are constantly changing. Whether you recently made renovations to your home, handed your child their first set of car keys or just started a new job—all of these changes have an impact on your personal risks and insurance needs.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak impacts businesses across a variety of industries, forcing them to rethink their daily operations to ensure the safety of their employees and the general public. In fact, procedures related to employee health and safety, leave, housekeeping, remote work and similar workplace policies have all had to evolve as a result of COVID-19. This is particularly true when you consider that just one misstep could put an employee’s well-being in jeopardy.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many restaurants and foodservice businesses to shift to survival strategies like carryout or delivery service. Some even had to close their doors for an extended period. As the COVID-19 threat shifts, several states have officially begun implementing reopening measures.

As COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the United States, there has been a massive upheaval of the American workplace. Employers have found themselves drafting and implementing policies and procedures addressing a wide array of issues including remote work, layoffs, furloughs, pay cuts, workplace conditions and many more.

The purpose of this tool is to assist employers in making (re)opening decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially to protect vulnerable workers. It is important to check with state and local health officials and other partners to determine the most appropriate actions while adjusting to meet the unique needs and circumstances of the local community.

The U.S. Department of Treasury (Treasury) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) recently released the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Forgiveness Application (Application) and instructions (Instructions) for small businesses to use when applying for PPP loan forgiveness with their lender. The release of this Application has been much-anticipated by U.S. small businesses that were able to secure financial relief through the PPP, as many were wondering about the next steps with regard to PPP loan forgiveness.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compels employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees who need it. These accommodations can be straightforward and may include installing a wheelchair ramp or adding text-to-voice software on a computer. In many cases, the accommodation needed for an employee to perform their job is obvious.

New York state has enacted a sick leave law that, depending on their size, requires employers to provide between 40 and 56 hours of paid leave per year for reasons relating to the health of the employee or the employee’s family. Employers with fewer than five employees and an annual income under $1 million may satisfy the law’s leave requirement by providing unpaid leave of 40 hours annually.

Fatigue occurs when an individual does not get enough sleep or quality sleep. It can impair one’s ability to safely perform tasks, including driving. Driver fatigue may be triggered by a lack of adequate sleep, long work hours, strenuous work or non-work activities—or a combination of other factors.

According to cybersecurity firm Emsisoft, 205,280 organizations around the globe reported experiencing a ransomware attack in 2019—a 41% increase over 2018. This fact not only illustrates that ransomware attacks are on the rise, but it also underscores the need for organizations to act to prevent such attacks from impacting their operations. Especially when we consider just how many employees are currently working from home.