COVID-19 and the Workforce: Your Weekly Update – May 1, 2020

COVID-19 and the Workforce: Your Weekly Update – May 1, 2020

TOP HEADLINES 

What Employers Need to Know About Essential Workers and PPE 
SHRM – April 28, 2020 
To learn more about what responsibility employers have to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to employees, SHRM spoke with Eddie Sorrells, chief operating officer and general counsel at DSI Security Services. 

U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Hit 3.84 Million, Topping 30 Million Over the Last 6 Weeks 
CNBC – April 30, 2020 
First-time filings for unemployment insurance hit 3.84 million last week as the wave of economic pain continues, though the worst appears to be in the past, according to Labor Department figures Thursday. 

Indeed Applicants Can Mark Themselves ‘#ReadyToWork’ 
HR Dive – April 28, 2020 
While unemployment claims continue to rise at unprecedented rates, some employers found their services in high demand and sharply increased recruitment to compensate. In response, big names in the recruitment tech space have created new tools to help companies hire quickly. 

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 
Australia Moving Towards ‘COVID-Safe’ Society, But Travel Ban Stays: PM 
Reuters – April 28, 2020 
Australia’s prime minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday bans on international travel and large gatherings would stay in place even as the government eases lockdowns and moves towards a “COVID-safe” economy and society. 

CANADA 
COVID-19: Trudeau Says ‘Different Jurisdictions Will Act Differently’ as Canada Starts to Reopen 
National Post – April 29, 2020 
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says individual provinces may go at different speeds when it comes to reopening their economies, but all will follow the guidelines their premiers and the federal government drafted collaboratively. 

INDIA 
How Does India, a Country of 1.3 Billion People, Have Around 1,000 Coronavirus Deaths?  
CNN – April 29, 2020 
Less than a month ago, India’s future looked dire. Experts predicted that the country could expect millions of coronavirus cases. Doctors warned that India needed to prepare for an onslaught of cases that could cripple the country’s ill-equipped health system. But so far, the world’s second-most populous country appears to have avoided the worst. 

UNITED KINGDOM 
‘Social Bubbles’ of Small Groups Could Be Early Step Out of UK Lockdown 
CNN – April 29, 2020 
“Social bubbles” allowing people to mix with a fixed small group of family and friends could be a part of easing the lockdown, Downing Street has hinted, but experts warned that tougher isolation and quarantining measures may be needed at the same time as any relaxation of restrictions. 

UNITED STATES 
Labor Department is Now Enforcing Coronavirus Paid-Leave Rules 
SHRM – April 28, 2020 
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) initially gave employers time to comply with coronavirus-related paid-sick-leave and paid-family-leave mandates and correct mistakes without facing scrutiny, but the department has officially ramped up its enforcement efforts. 

POLAND 
Poland Reopens Shopping Centers, Preschools, Hotels and Museums in “Unfreezing” of Lockdown 
Notes from Poland – April 29, 2020 
The Polish government has announced that, from the start of next week, the country will enter the second stage of “unfreezing” the coronavirus lockdown. This will include the reopening of shopping centers, nurseries and preschools, hotels and cultural institutions. 

Post by Jasmine Patel

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