Ontario has announced that with key public health and health system indicators improving and the peak of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 behind us, it will be easing public health measures sooner than anticipated.
On February 9, 2022, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the state is largely discontinuing the mandate that businesses require proof of vaccination or masks to enter the premises.
In the midst of declining infection rates and increasing debate over mask and vaccine mandates, on February 7, 2022, an Illinois court temporarily enjoined COVID-19 mitigation measure mandates affecting nearly 170 school districts.
With key public health indicators beginning to show signs of improvement and expected to continue, Ontario announced that commencing January 31, 2022, it would begin to take steps to cautiously and gradually ease public health measures.
The Firm’s International Practice Group has once again updated its COVID-19 Vaccination: A Littler Global Guide on Legal & Practical Implications in the Workplace.
As expected, in the UK there has been an increase in employees seeking to bring claims of automatic unfair dismissal where they have been dismissed for safety-related reasons stemming from COVID-19.
On January 26, 2022, OSHA withdrew its COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard, which required large employers to ensure that their employees either get vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo regular COVID-19 testing.
In Canada Post Corporation and Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), the arbitrator denied CUPW’s cease and desist application filed under the collective agreement, which arose when the employer imposed a mandatory vaccination policy.