Page 20 - Delaware Lawyer - Summer 2021

FEATURE
But Not Really...
Lauren E. M. Russell
When It’s Over,
Employment law and the pandemic in 2021
Effective 8:00 a.m. on March 13, 2020, Gov. John Carney declared a State of Emergency in response to the emerging coronavirus pandemic. Nearly 15 months later, we still operate under a series of executive orders — more than 35 — that have drastically altered the way we live and work.
As of June 1, 2021 — under the Tenth Revision to the Twenty- Seventh Modification of the Dec- laration of a State of Emergency for the State of Delaware Due to a Public Health Threat — Delaware’s employers are “encouraged to continue telework- ing. Employees who have been working from home throughout this crisis should continue working from home unless there is a substantive change to busi- ness operations in Phase 2.” For many law firms and their clients, the pan- demic forced us to blend our personal and professional lives for more than a
year, attending teleconferences while watching our children run through the backyard sprinkler. We have adapted to these changes at a dizzying rate, but as we emerge from a remote work envi- ronment, there will be new challenges to address.
Vaccine Mandates, Incentives and Masking
One of the largest hurdles businesses face is the legality of vaccine mandates and the continuation of disease-preven- tion measures. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
18 DELAWARE LAWYER SUMMER 2021