social distancing News

COVID Impacts Linger in Courtrooms, Often a Disadvantage for Defendants

GARDEN GROVE, California — Courts have reopened and trials have resumed, but the impacts of COVID-19 continue to linger in the judicial system, a panel of claims litigation experts said during the Combined Claims Conference on Thursday. For one thing, …

Viewpoint: ‘Take-Home COVID’ Claims May Lead to Future Insurance Disputes

“Take-home COVID” claims are claims brought against an employer by the spouse or child of an employee who caught COVID-19 in the workplace and brought it home, infecting a spouse or child and causing injuries. These claims are controversial because …

Federal OSHA Mulls Yanking Arizona’s Work Safety Oversight

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona may lose the authority to oversee its own workplace safety program because of a pattern of ignoring federal directives involving COVID-19 protection, employer penalties and other issues, the Biden administration said Wednesday. The U.S. Department of …

Rescuers Battle Strong Typhoon Lashing Southern Philippines

MANILA, Philippines (AP)–A powerful typhoon slammed into the southeastern Philippines on Thursday, toppling trees, ripping tin roofs and knocking down power as it blew across island provinces where nearly 100,000 people have been evacuated. Coast guard personnel were rescuing residents …

Viewpoint: A Resurgence in Catastrophes and COVID-19 Clash

Hurricane season has arrived. Although we’re still ahead of the historical September peak, PCS has already recorded two tropical events making landfall in the United States and notes outside forecasts of another busy year. Further, hot and dry conditions in …

California Worker Board to Again Reconsider Mask Standards

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s workplace regulators are set to again reconsider controversial masking rules designed to protect employees against the coronavirus. A “special meeting” of the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board was hastily scheduled for Wednesday after …

Complaint May Spur Review of Meat Industry’s Virus Response

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A union complaint about whether an Oklahoma meatpacking plant is doing enough to protect workers from the coronavirus could test the industry’s response to the pandemic because Seaboard Foods says it is following recommendations from the …

Kansas County Chooses Not to Observe Covid ‘Emergency’

SEDAN, Kan. (AP) — Greetings from Chautauqua, the only county in Kansas where COVID-19 isn’t an emergency. This bucolic and remote county, nestled on the Oklahoma border 100 highway miles southeast of Wichita, is the only place in Kansas that …

Fears and Tension Mount for Commuters Still Heading to Work

NEW YORK (AP) — One by one, the fears creep in as Aura Morales rides the bus to her job at CVS in Los Angeles. A passenger boards without a mask but she doesn’t dare confront him. More riders board …

Despite Promise, Few in US Adopting COVID-19 Exposure Apps

RALEIGH, N.C. — Six months ago, Apple and Google introduced a new smartphone tool designed to notify people who might have been exposed to the coronavirus, without disclosing any personal information. But for the most part, Americans haven’t been all …