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On Wednesday, the CDC issued revised guidance announcing that the required time for quarantine after exposure to COVID-19 may be reduced from 14 days to 7 or 10 days. The CDC still recommends a quarantine period of 14 days when possible. But the CDC also recognizes that the burden and economic hardship of the 14-day quarantine may reduce compliance.

In McKey v. U.S. Bank Nat’l Ass’n, No. 19-2638 (8th Cir. October 23, 2020), the Eighth Circuit ruled in favor of the employer in a case where an employee alleged it had illegally fired her on account of her age and in retaliation for reporting suspected age discrimination. The Eighth Circuit is the federal jurisdiction of appellate courts that includes Arkansas, and therefore valuable points can be drawn from its analysis on how similar cases will be analyzed in Arkansas.

As you know from following our alerts and blog (read previous article here) a federal district court recently ruled that portions of the April 2020 regulations from the Department of Labor (DOL) implementing the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) were overly broad and invalid. This ruling left a vacuum with no clear guidance on the state of the law. On Friday, September 11, 2020, the DOL issued new guidance addressing the federal court’s criticisms of the previous rules. The DOL left some rules in place with clarification and additional explanation, and it modified some of the rules, in particular the definition of “healthcare provider.”

Earlier this month, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York struck down the Department of Labor’s (DOL) definition of “health care provider” as promulgated in the regulations implementing the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). See State of New York v. United States Department of Labor. In this case, the State of New York sued the DOL claiming that several provisions of the regulations implementing the FFCRA violated the Administrative Procedures Act.

On Wednesday, Governor Hutchinson announced that Arkansas will submit an application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), paving the way for Arkansans to receive an extra $300 per week in unemployment benefits through the end of the year. The state legislature approved the application on August 18, but it still needs to go through the legislative council for final approval. And FEMA must approve the application before any supplemental benefit payments can be made.

The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) recently announced that it will require a 14-day home quarantine for anyone who has been exposed to COVID-19.

The Arkansas Division of Workforce Services (DWS) recently announced that starting June 28, the work-search requirement for unemployment benefits is once again in effect. DWS had waived the requirement in March in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the job-search requirement, individuals receiving unemployment benefits must make two to three job contacts each week depending on where in the state they live. The work-search requirement also applies to individuals receiving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), except for those who are self-employed. Self-employed PUA claimants must be engaged in activities designed to resume their usual self-employment and should enter the number of days each week that they were engaged in activities designed to resume their usual self-employment. Individuals receiving Extended Benefits have enhanced work-search requirements and must make three to four job contacts each week depending on where in the state they live.