As the world begins to contemplate a post-lockdown reopening of business and society, the global insurance magazine Reactions (subscription required) turned to our COVID-19 Response Team for insight on the delicate art of returning to normalcy.
Mayer Brown lawyers interviewed for the article discuss the challenges many businesses will face as they grapple with social-distancing protocols in the workplace, including permitting some employees to continue to work from home, reconfiguring work areas, navigating privacy and anti-discrimination laws and dealing with supply-chain disruptions. Washington DC partner Liz Stern, who leads the firm’s Global Mobility & Migration practice and has helped direct the firm’s COVID-19 Response Team, notes: “The economic shock of the pandemic and the ensuing market volatility will create a world of winners and losers in which the most nimble—and best financed—companies will be rewarded.”
The publication also cites Mayer Brown’s Back to Business Navigator and Global Stimulus Navigator as transition resources for businesses. The Back to Business Navigator provides guidance on US industries and economic sectors that are affected by government restrictions. The Global Stimulus Navigator provides country-by-country information on government economic stimulus packages since the onset of the pandemic.
The Reactions article highlights the importance of weighing the risks involved in coming out of lockdown. Some companies may not be properly insured to handle litigation that could arise as a result of a return to the workplace. Reg Goeke, a Litigation partner in Mayer Brown’s Washington DC office, observes that the pandemic will likely spawn various types of litigation—from suits brought by employees to disputes over force majeure and material-adverse-change clauses. “Even as they resume business, many companies will continue remote operations that could give rise to breach-of-privacy and cybersecurity claims,” he says.
For information on other regulatory developments related to the pandemic, please visit our COVID-19 Portal.
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