On March 24th, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division issued its first round of guidance regarding the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

Governor Cuomo directed the Empire State Development Corporation (ESD) on March 27, 2020 to update New York State’s Guidance for various businesses, including construction, under the Governor’s New York State on “PAUSE” Executive Orders (EO 202.6 and thereafter).

Under the CARES Act, a $500 billion pool of money was created to make loans, loan guarantees, and other investments for distressed businesses that do not qualify for the small business relief, including airlines, large nonprofit companies, states, and municipalities.

Teva Pharmaceuticals filed suit against the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alleging that its glatiramer (Copaxone) falls under the revised definition of a “biological product” and should be transitioned to the system established by the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009 (BPCIA).

Due to “shelter-in-place” or “stay at home” orders that are in place in many jurisdictions throughout the country, government offices are generally closed to the public and public gatherings are limited.

Like some other states, California has its own state version of the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. 

As we reported earlier this week, in an effort to increase the domestic supply of hand sanitizer, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced policies that temporarily relax certain requirements for the production of alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

On March 24 and 25, the U.S. Department of Labor released guidance on the implementation of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which we wrote about here when it passed last week.

The soon to be passed Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act includes these key details surrounding the Health Care Industry, Not-for-Profits, and debt restructurings. 

The SEC extended its previously granted public company regulatory relief and issued staff guidance yesterday regarding disclosure obligations in light of the continued complications associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a memorandum to State Survey Agency Directors that provides further guidance regarding survey priorities for health care facilities, providers, and clinical laboratories due to COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.

FDA has issued a new Enforcement Policy that allows manufacturers of certain FDA-cleared non-invasive devices to expand their use for healthcare professionals to monitor patients remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier this week, the IRS released updates on the status of its operations as the COVID-19 outbreak continues and also on the IRS’s new People First Initiative. In addition, Illinois extended its tax filing and payment deadline (but not the deadline to make estimated tax payments) to match the IRS July 15 deadline.

As cases of COVID-19 continue to increase across the country, uncertainty in the construction industry about projects, including potential project risks, proliferates.

Since last week when we wrote about the “shelter in place” and “stay at home” orders issued in California, New York, and Illinois, many more states have issued similar orders. The general discussion from our prior alert still applies, but below is an up-to-date list of the states that have adopted the stay-at-home approach to fighting the spread of COVID-19.

Recent state and local executive orders limit or suspend many operations of California dealers and repair facilities. This alert summarizes the effects and penalties of recent orders, which are changing daily. 

As more and more states order businesses to close their physical locations because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, employers are being encouraged by the federal and state governments to work remotely and not have their employees report to worksites unless they fit into the definition of essential

On Friday, March 20, Governor Lamont signed Executive Order No. 7H, effective 8 PM, March 23. 

On March 19, 2020, Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California, issued Executive Order N-3-20, which put in place mandatory stay-at-home restrictions as part of an effort to help contain the novel coronavirus, for an indefinite period of time.

Yesterday, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser issued an order aimed at significantly slowing the community transmission of COVID-19. 

On March 13, 2020, the Division of Corporate Finance of the Securities and Exchange Commission published guidance (Staff Guidance for Conducting Annual Meetings in Light of COVID-19 Concerns) to assist issuers of securities in navigating their legal requirements to hold annual meetings.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has led to a dramatic increase in the demand for, and a shortage of, hand sanitizer in the US.

On March 20, 2020, Governor Cuomo signed the “New York State on PAUSE” Executive Order (“PAUSE Order”) to ensure safety for residents across New York State. Effective 8PM Sunday, March 22, 2020, all statewide non-essential businesses must close all in-person operations.

The typical path for the Antitrust Division of the US Department of Justice when it determines that a contemplated merger is anticompetitive is to sue in federal court to block the merger.

Coronavirus Task Force Image

After midnight on the East Coast on Wednesday, March 25, negotiators from the U.S. Congress and Trump Administration finally agreed to the framework of a historic $2 trillion bill. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) constitutes a new Marshall Plan for our nation.