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Today, July 20th, the U.S. Department of Labor issued three new guidance documents on COVID-19 issues important to employers. The first guidance is a Q&A on COVID-19 and wage and hour issues under the Fair Labor Standards Act (the FLSA).  This one poses and answers 19 questions, such as what are an employer’s obligations to an employee under a government-imposed quarantine, does OSHA apply to a home office, does an employer have to pay hazard pay under the FLSA, and…

In recent weeks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) have provided guidance for employers contemplating testing employees in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. There are two tests for employers to consider; one is a “viral test,” to determine if someone has an active case of COVID-19.  The other is an “antibody test,” to detect past infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease. The EEOC has provided guidance about…

On July 15th, Bexar County’s chief executive, County Judge Nelson Wolff, issued his Executive Order NW-13, which extended earlier executive orders requiring that businesses have health and safety policies requiring masks and that they post a list of COVID-19 symptoms by entrances. This latest executive order extended the requirements to August 12, 2020.  Businesses can be fined up to $1,000 for violations, but can put up a poster provided by Bexar County to fulfill the requirement.  Judge Wolff’s first order…