On Thursday, November 4, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released its Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) that outlines a vaccine and testing mandate for private employers that have 100 or more employees. While the ETS technically went into effect on Friday, November 5, employers have until December 6 to comply with most requirements and January... View Article
As the pandemic has stretched on, the highly infectious Delta COVID variant has become the dominant strain. As infection rates increase, employers are looking for ways to keep their employees safe and allow them to return physically to the workplace. There are several considerations employers must make. Should they require employees and contractors to get... View Article
While 2021 isn’t off to the start we all hoped it would, there is good news on the horizon. Health care workers and other high-risk individuals are now getting the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Most people will likely be able to receive the vaccine by the end of the second quarter 2021. While the... View Article
On January 5, 2021, Governor Jay Inslee announced the “Healthy Washington – Roadmap to Recovery” Covid-19 recovery plan (the “Recovery Plan”). The plan presents a phased reopening of certain businesses and activities based on key health metrics in each Washington county. The Recovery Plan will officially go into effect on January 11, 2020, and all... View Article
In light of the expected (yet still alarming) rise in Washington state Covid-19 cases during this Fall season, Governor Jay Inslee announced on Sunday that new state-wide restrictions will be placed on business and other social activities to try and slow down Washington’s third wave of COVID-19 growth during the pandemic. Most of the restrictions... View Article
Business leaders are asking if the business transaction landscape is changing, considering the pandemic. Do we see negative impacts on many businesses? To be honest, we don’t see much change – deals are moving forward with little change in the terms or contingencies. This may be due to the specific deals we’re seeing, or parties... View Article
While business owners are well-acquainted with the concept of risk, that term has likely taken on a whole new meaning in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Even the most risk-averse business owners likely did not see this massive global crisis coming, and certainly did not anticipate the rapid and overwhelming impact it would have on... View Article
Is your business following the face covering mandate & COVID-19 regulations? As businesses navigate through the twists and turns presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be hard to keep up with changing rules & regulations. Along with the requirements presented in Phase II of the Safe Start Plan, Gov. Inslee issued a statewide face... View Article
Business leaders have successfully adapted to their changing workplace & lifestyle, but confusion can loom over plans to reopen. As Washington nears the end of Phase I of Governor Inslee’s Safe Start Plan, business owners face a new challenge of reopening safely & meeting strict legal requirements. Questions around their ability to reopen, documenting and... View Article