World Health Organization Declares COVID-19 to be a Pandemic
Client Alert | 1 min read | 03.11.20
The World Health Organization has announced its determination that COVID-19 is a pandemic. At a press briefing on Wednesday, March 11, 2020, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO announced that this is the first time the WHO has declared a pandemic as a result of a coronavirus outbreak. The announcement does not change the WHO’s assessment of the threat posed by COVID-19, nor does it require new WHO public health recommendations.
The WHO announcement means that U.S. employers now have additional flexibility to take measures to mitigate the spread of the virus. Guidance issued in 2009 by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in response to the ‘swine flu’ outbreak authorizes employers to be more aggressive in responding to a pandemic, notwithstanding the obligations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The EEOC guidance suggests that employers may be able to conduct certain types of testing and make more direct inquiries to their employees, as part of a containment plan.
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Client Alert | 1 min read | 01.10.25
FAR Council Withdraws Proposed Mandatory Climate Disclosures for Federal Contractor Rule
Mandatory climate disclosures for US federal contractors are officially off the table—at least, for the foreseeable future. On January 10, 2025, the Department of Defense, General Services Administration, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced that they are withdrawing a proposed rule, “Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate-Related Financial Risk,” which would have required thousands of federal contractors to inventory and publicly disclose their Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and would also have required “major” contractors to also establish and validate GHG emission-reduction targets tailored to the goals of the Paris Agreement. The proposed rule, discussed in further detail here, was introduced in November 2022 and resulted in thousands of public comments from the government contractor community and beyond.
Client Alert | 7 min read | 01.10.25
New Draft Guidance From FDA Explains When an Accelerated Approval Trial Is “Underway”
Client Alert | 11 min read | 01.10.25
Client Alert | 7 min read | 01.09.25
Navigating Disputes on Megaprojects Amid Trump Tariffs - Part 2
