TOP HEADLINES
DOL Issues FFCRA Regulations: 20 Need-to-Know Provisions for Employers
TLNT – April 9, 2020
U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) regulations issued on April 1, 2020 interpreted the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and clarified several questions that the text of the law raised concerning employers’ duties to provide paid sick and family leave for reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic. As expected, the regulations left some questions unanswered and raised new issues. This article highlights the 20 points that employers should be aware of.
U.S. Jobless Claims Top 6 Million for Second Straight Week
Reuters – April 9, 2020
A staggering 16.8 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits in the last three weeks, with weekly new claims topping 6 million for the second straight time last week.
LinkedIn Offers Free Job Postings for ‘Essential’ Positions
HR Dive – April 7, 2020
Employers in healthcare, supermarkets, warehousing and freight delivery services may post jobs on LinkedIn for free until June 30, the business announced. The social media and software company, owned by Microsoft, will promote critical front-line healthcare roles and list those openings on a central site for COVID-19 relief work opportunities.
CVS Expands Coronavirus Parking Lot Testing to Three States
Forbes – April 6, 2020
CVS Health is opening testing for the coronavirus strain COVID-19 in parking lots in two more states using Abbott Laboratories’ rapid diagnostic test.
What’s New from the CDC
Keep up with all the latest information on COVID-19 directly from the resources created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
GLOBAL NEWS
AUSTRALIA
Have Australia and New Zealand Stopped COVID-19 in its Tracks?
The Guardian – April 9, 2020
Australia and neighboring New Zealand have so far been successful in largely suppressing the spread of COVID-19 within their countries, and in particular, keeping deaths low.
CANADA
Canadian Employment Falls by More Than 1 Million in March; Temp Jobs Decline by 14.5%
Staffing Industry Analysts – April 9, 2020
Canada, which is on lockdown amid efforts to combat COVID-19, saw employment fall by more than 1 million between March and February, according to seasonally adjusted numbers released today by Statistics Canada.
INDIA
How India’s Behemoth Railways are Joining the Fight Against COVID-19
BBC News – April 9, 2020
India is preparing for a potential surge in COVID-19 patients by tapping into an unusual resource: its trains, which power the world’s fourth biggest rail network. Work has already begun to convert 5,000 train coaches into quarantine or isolation wards, which amounts to 40,000 beds. And the railway ministry says it’s prepared to convert 15,000 more coaches.
UNITED KINGDOM
UK Coronavirus Lockdown ‘to be Extended Beyond Next Week‘
The Guardian – April 9, 2020
Dominic Raab is expected to signal that stringent lockdown measures must remain in place beyond next week, in the first key government decision to be taken while the prime minister remains in intensive care.
UNITED STATES
Lawmakers Discuss Next Coronavirus Relief Bill as Demand Rises
SHRM – April 7, 2020
Congress is working out the details for the next coronavirus relief bill as banks struggle to meet the demand for payroll-protection loans and a record number of people apply for unemployment benefits.
POLAND
Poland Launches €22 Billion Support Package for Firms in Effort to Save up to 5 Million Jobs
Notes from Poland – April 8, 2020
In an effort to preserve millions of jobs amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Polish government has announced that it is ready to support companies with a package worth 100 billion zloty (€22 billion) – as long as they agree not to lay off any staff and pay taxes in Poland.
