Coronavirus Resource Page
September 2023 Update
CDC Recommends Updated COVID-19 Vaccine for Fall/Winter Virus Season
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2023/p0912-COVID-19-Vaccine.html
To find out more about the COVID-19 situation inyour area go to: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view?list_select_state=Louisiana&data-type=Vaccinations&list_select_county=22109
April 2023 Update
Biden Ends COVID-19 National Emergency
https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/benefits/pages/biden-en...
January 2022 Updates
OSHA is withdrawing its emergency temporary standard (ETS) that would have required by large businesses ensure employees are vaccinated against the coronavirus or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. However, the agency is moving forward with its proposal to make the temporary directive a permanent standard. For more informaiton please see the full article provided by SHRM. https://www.shrm.org/ResourcesAndTools/legal-and-compliance/employment-law/Pages/OSHA-Vaccine-or-Testing-Directive.aspx
December 2021 Updates
CDC Updates and Shortens Recommended Isolation and Quarantine Period for General Population
Please see the attached link for the updated recommended isolation and quarantine periods.
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s1227-isolation-quarantine-guidance.html
Useful Links
https://www.osha.gov/coronavirus/ets2/faqs
https://www.osha.gov/coronavirus/safework
https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/OSHA4162.pdf
https://www.osha.gov/coronavirus/ets2/faqs
Please check out the SHRM Corona Virus and COVID 19 Resources Page
This one-stop resource space provides templates as well as FAQ for topics such as reasonable accommodations /religious/undue hardships as well as up-to date legal updates
https://www.shrm.org/ResourcesAndTools/Pages/communicable-diseases.aspx
New Vaccination Requirement for Employers With 100 or More Employees:
Summarized Fact Sheet
- Get Their Employees Vaccinated by Fenruary 9th and Require Unvaccinated Employees to Produce a Negative Test on at Least a Weekly Basis
- Pay Employees for the Time it Takes to Get Vaccinated
- Ensure All Unvaccinated Employees are Masked
- Other Requirements and Compliance Date: Employers are subject to requirements for reporting and recordkeeping that are spelled out in the detailed OSHA materials available here. While the testing requirement for unvaccinated workers will begin after January 4th, employers must be in compliance with all other requirements – such as providing paid-time for employees to get vaccinated and masking for unvaccinated workers – on December 5th. The Administration is calling on all employers to step up and make these changes as quickly as possible.
FAQ
What qualifies as work done exclusively outdoors under the ETS?
In order to qualify as work performed exclusively outdoors, the following criteria must be met:
◾The employee must work outdoors on all days (i.e., an employee who works indoors on some days and outdoors on other days would not be exempt from the requirements of this ETS).
◾The employee must not routinely occupy vehicles with other employees as part of work duties (i.e., do not drive to worksites together in a company vehicle).
◾The employee works outdoors for the duration of every workday except for de minimis use of indoor spaces where other individuals may be present – such as a multi-stall bathroom or an administrative office – as long as the time spent indoors is brief, or occurs exclusively in the employee’s home (e.g., a lunch break at home).
The employee’s work must truly occur “outdoors,” which does not include buildings under construction where substantial portions of the structure are in place, such as walls and ceiling elements that would impede the natural flow of fresh air at the worksite.
Are employees who work exclusively outdoors counted?
Yes. If an employer has 125 employees, and 115 of them work exclusively outdoors, that employer would be covered. However, the standard’s protections would only apply to the 10 employees working in indoor settings around other individuals (other than telework in their own homes), not to those employees working exclusively outdoors. For more information, see FAQ 2.B. “What qualifies as work done exclusively outdoors under the ETS?”
For contractors
Contractors and host employers with at least 100 employees are each required to ensure that they meet the ETS requirements for their own employees. Nothing in this section prevents host employers from imposing additional requirements for contractor employees at their worksites, such as requiring that all employees, regardless of vaccination status, wear face coverings while working indoors.
Is vaccination status considered in counting employees?
No. Vaccination status is not considered when counting the numbers of employees. For example, if an employer has 200 employees, all of whom are vaccinated, that employer would be covered.
Disability Accommodations / Undue Hardships
If an employer rejects an accommodation request under the ADA based on undue hardship, the decision must be based on "an individualized assessment of current circumstances that show that a specific reasonable accommodation would cause significant difficulty or expense," If an employee cannot get vaccinated against the coronavirus for disability-related reasons, the employer should engage in an "interactive process" (a back-and-forth dialogue with the employee) to determine if a reasonable accommodation can be made.
Religious Accommodations
The EEOC noted that employers can't "rely on speculative hardships when faced with an employee's religious objection but, rather, should rely on objective information." The most frequently considered accommodation for not getting vaccinated is wearing a mask and getting tested for COVID-19 once or twice a week, Kroeger observed. Under the EEOC's guidance, he said, it appears that employers can take the position that the cost of such testing, particularly for a large group of employees requesting religious exemptions, is more than de minimis and therefore could be properly rejected by an employer.
