A new Puerto Rico Circular Letter provides that, effective immediately, any private employer that lays off or reduces employees’ regular working hours is required to notify them of the benefits available under the Unemployment Insurance Program.
Late on April 20, 2020, the City of Philadelphia issued Temporary Emergency Regulations to the Philadelphia Notification of Intention to Close or Relocate Operations ordinance (Philadelphia WARN Act).
The Canadian federal government announced that the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) application form will become available on Monday, April 27, 2020, and launched an online CEWS calculator to help employers apply for the CEWS.
Senate lawmakers agreed on April 21, 2020, to inject cash into the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a mechanism for offering forgivable loans to small businesses.
Employers accepting funding under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and bringing employees back onto the active payroll with PPP loan funds are confronting challenging WARN Act compliance issues.
On April 17, 2020, a majority of the Brazilian Supreme Court of Justice (STF) upheld the constitutionality of Provisional Measure # 936 (MP # 936), bringing some relief for employers struggling to implement steps to reduce labor costs during the pandemic.
On April 15, 2020, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam extended Executive Order 53, which imposes restrictions on nonessential retail businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, for an additional two weeks.
Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Rachel Levine, M.D. issued an order on April 15 aimed at preventing further spread of COVID-19 in the Commonwealth. The Order was immediately effective, but it will not be enforced until 8:00 p.m. Sunday, April 19, 2020.
