Topic: Coronavirus

While more states issue reopening plans, other states extend closure

By Will Troutman (US), Jeff Margulies (US) and Eva Yang (US) on April 27, 2020 Posted in Coronavirus

In a sign of the dramatically uncertain nature of next steps, more states have issued orders to partially reopen their economies, while others have extended closure orders that were set to expire at the end of the month.

Reopening

Alaska, Colorado, Georgia, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Vermont all have taken the first step towards a gradual reopening. While some of these states have loosened restrictions more aggressively than others, some common themes emerge. Businesses that do reopen must try to maintain social distancing, operate at reduced capacity, and take measures to ensure the safety of their … Continue Reading

Plans for reopening begin at state, federal level

By Jeff Margulies (US), Will Troutman (US) and *Katie Fragoso (US) on April 17, 2020 Posted in Coronavirus, General

State coalitions forming

In an effort to plan for reopening their economies, several states have announced regional collaboration efforts. This includes New York and six other Northeastern states, and California, Oregon, and Washington in the west. Earlier this week, California Governor Gavin Newsom outlined a framework to reopen the western economies, predicated on six key indicators: … Continue Reading

Los Angeles orders workers and customers to wear face coverings

By Will Troutman (US), Jeff Margulies (US) and *Katie Fragoso (US) on April 8, 2020 Posted in Coronavirus, General

We are continuing to track state and local restrictions, updated daily, here.

In a sign of things that may be coming nationally, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has issued an “emergency order” requiring employees of “Essential Businesses” to wear face coverings. The order also requires customers visiting such businesses to wear face coverings, at the risk of not being served if they fail to comply. Businesses are expressly permitted to refuse entry to any customer not wearing a face covering.… Continue Reading

State “stay at home” orders now in 30 states

By Will Troutman (US) and Jeff Margulies (US) on March 30, 2020 Posted in Coronavirus, General

What seemed like a novel and crazy idea a little over a week ago has now become the majority approach to “flattening the curve” in the United States. And those states that have not yet adopted “stay at home” or “shelter in place” orders generally have comparable restrictions at the county, city, or municipal levels.

Check out our updated state and local tracker here.… Continue Reading

Federal and state authorities warn against price gouging

By Will Troutman (US) on March 27, 2020 Posted in Coronavirus, General

In the wake of the coronavirus, some sellers of essential goods and services have tried to greatly increase the cost of their products to take advantage of increased demand. But sellers beware: Public officials all over the country have expressed a willingness to prosecute price gougers and companies that may facilitate sales of goods with inflated prices.

Check out our detailed analysis of federal and state responses to price gouging.… Continue Reading

New coronavirus business restrictions and limitations

By Will Troutman (US) and Jeff Margulies (US) on March 26, 2020 Posted in Coronavirus, General

Stay at Home and Shelter in Place orders continue to proliferate, and we are also seeing an uptick in curfews being set. Notable updates in:

Idaho
Mississippi
Missouri
Nebraska
Tennessee
Texas

Our updated tracking site is now here.… Continue Reading

Coronavirus business restrictions update and links to orders

By Will Troutman (US) and Jeff Margulies (US) on March 24, 2020 Posted in Coronavirus, General

For those of you have been following our running list of state and local business restrictions here on the blog, we are happy to report that we have been upgraded to a dedicated website. And with our upgrade comes an added feature–links to the state and local orders we are discussing. Please continue to follow us there (we will also keep updating the blog, but it is not nearly as fancy).

“Stay at Home” and “Shelter in Place” restrictions grow; updated business restrictions table

By Will Troutman (US) and Jeff Margulies (US) on March 21, 2020 Posted in Coronavirus, General

We continue to update our list of state and local business restrictions and limitations as quickly as we can given the rapidly changing landscape.

As of Friday night, “Stay at Home” and “Shelter in Place” orders continue to proliferate, as Connecticut and Illinois have joined California and New York. In general, under these orders, the public is required to stay at home except for essential activities, and all “non-essential” business must cease public or in-person operations. Remote working is permitted.

“Essential” businesses are set forth in detail in each order, but they largely seek to encompass the business sectors set … Continue Reading

UPDATED: Coronavirus restrictions and limitations

By Will Troutman (US), Andy Guo (US), Eva Yang (US) and *Katie Fragoso (US) on March 19, 2020 Posted in Coronavirus, General

We have just finished a big update of our ongoing coronavirus tracker, which includes California’s stunning “Stay-at-Home” order just issued this evening. We will continue to monitor state and local restrictions nationwide, incorporating them each day.

Stay safe and healthy! Consider a Friday “Quarantini” and a virtual Happy Hour!

Coronavirus business restrictions and limitations

By Will Troutman (US), Andy Guo (US), Eva Yang (US) and *Katie Fragoso (US) on March 17, 2020 Posted in Coronavirus, General

Please visit our new State and Local Restrictions webpage for updated information: https://www.nortonrosefulbright.com/en/knowledge/publications/52aa88af/covid-19-and-us-response-a-state-by-state-overview.

In light of the growing number of state and local restrictions and limitations, we thought it would be helpful to publish an informal list of mandates as we become aware of them. We will do our best to update the list as we learn of new requirements, but we caution that this list should only be considered a starting point. Many of the state and local requirements have exceptions (e.g., for “essential” vs. “non-essential” businesses) that require a closer look, and the states and localities with requirements … Continue Reading