Monitoring State & Local Policies

Pandemics are dynamic in nature, and developments such as the detection of new variants may provoke unique responses from state and local jurisdictions. Public health authorities have a wide range of tools, such as stay-at-home orders, mask and vaccine mandates, and travel restrictions, they may employ to reduce the spread of disease. Business leaders must therefore maintain a constant awareness of local and state policies that may apply to their company. Most state and local public health agencies keep up-to-date information on their websites, so these should be checked on a regular basis.

The detection of the Omicron variant elicited a range of responses from different public health authorities. New York City, for example, expanded its vaccination requirement for most indoor activities to children aged 5-11 and also introduced a vaccine mandate for all private-sector workers. Other states closely monitored the variant and imposed more stringent policies. Once case counts declined, most states rescinded these policies. Businesses should continue to monitor their local and state public health authorities in case any of these policies affect their company. Because the pandemic outbreak is so dynamic, different jurisdictions will be affected in different ways, necessitating regular monitoring of policies in each area the business has a physical location.

For a tailored approach to workplace health and safety that considers the unique needs of your workplace, please contact us to schedule a consultation.