Coronavirus News

Renault-Nissan, Hyundai Face Factory Closures in India over Workers’ COVID-19 Fears

CHENNAI, India – Automakers Renault, its alliance partner Nissan Motor Co. and Hyundai Motor Co. face temporary factory closures in India due to growing unrest among workers concerned about rising COVID-19 infections. Workers at Renault-Nissan’s car plant in the southern …

California’s Harsh EPLI Landscape Made Worse by COVID

It’s common knowledge that the employee practices liability insurance arena nationwide has been unfriendly to buyers. Earlier this year, a survey of 20 EPLI carriers showed 15 reported rate increases for the line ranging from 5% to 35%. The problem …

Oregon Among Blue States Slow to Lift Virus Restrictions

The sand was packed on a recent sunny day at this upscale beach town on Oregon’s coast, but signs of the state’s cautious approach to the pandemic were still everywhere. Almost all the beachgoers wore masks – those that didn’t …

Washington Issues New Workplace Masking Guidelines

The Washington Department of Labor & Industries has updated state COVID-19 workplace safety and health guidance to help employers adapt masking policies to meet new CDC guidelines adopted by Gov. Jay Inslee. The updated guidance details steps employers must take …

Staffers Allege that Employer Ignored COVID Precautions in Massachusetts

A Massachusetts man claims that a national addiction treatment program with offices in Pittsfield and Cummington failed to take precautions to protect him, fellow staff members, as well as residential clients from COVID-19 infection. Stephen Seward and four co-workers filed …

California Restaurants Expect Rebound That Will Take Years

Nearly a third of California’s restaurants permanently closed and two-thirds of workers at least temporarily lost their jobs as the pandemic set in more than a year ago and Gov. Gavin Newsom imposed the nation’s first statewide lockdown, a legislative …

Lawsuits Over University of Delaware COVID-19 Shutdown Can Proceed

A federal judge on Tuesday refused to dismiss two lawsuits filed against the University of Delaware by current and former students who argue that they are entitled to refunds for services they didn’t receive when officials shut down the campus …

Insurer Aviva Will Close 3 UK Property Funds Hit by Pandemic Economic Turmoil

Insurer Aviva said it will close three UK property funds in July that have been suspended since March last year due to market uncertainty as the pandemic hit Britain’s economy. “During this period of economic uncertainty, it has become increasingly …

New Post-COVID Hybrid Work Arrangements May Not Be as Flexible as Desired

Fourteen months after coronavirus confined the world’s office-workers to their homes, companies are embarking on another great experiment — how to get their teams back together, in-person, at least some of the time. It’s a task that is briefly uniting …

Massachusetts Health Boards Overwhelmed, Unready to Protect Workers

With federal regulators missing from the field and state leaders scrambling to manage the COVID-19 crisis, Massachusetts’ 351 overtaxed local boards of health were unwittingly thrust into a new role last year – overseers of workplace safety. The challenge created …