Alerts

If history is any guide, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic will provide many opportunities for fraudsters to separate the desperate and vulnerable from their money and personal information.

On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), a Senate bill passed just days earlier in response to the public health crisis that has emerged from the spread of COVID-19.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, estimated to cost more than $2 trillion dollars, contains multiple tax-related provisions intended to offer relief to both businesses and individuals. Here we outline key provisions of which businesses and individuals should be aware.

Arent Fox continues to monitor the FDA activities and scientific reports on COVID-19 and the novel coronavirus.

To address the COVID-19 national emergency, hospitals throughout the country are seeking to bolster their ranks of health care providers.

With consumers attempting to navigate quarantine and “shelter-in-place” orders, businesses that sell basic necessities are facing overwhelming demand.

Headlines that Matter for Companies and Executives in Regulated Industries

This updates our prior Alert regarding the importation and distribution of face masks and respirators to be used to meet the significant US health care challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teva Pharmaceuticals filed suit against the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alleging that its glatiramer (Copaxone) falls under the revised definition of a “biological product” and should be transitioned to the system established by the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009 (BPCIA).

FDA has issued a new Enforcement Policy that allows manufacturers of certain FDA-cleared non-invasive devices to expand their use for healthcare professionals to monitor patients remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to “shelter-in-place” or “stay at home” orders that are in place in many jurisdictions throughout the country, government offices are generally closed to the public and public gatherings are limited.

Earlier this week, the IRS released updates on the status of its operations as the COVID-19 outbreak continues and also on the IRS’s new People First Initiative. In addition, Illinois extended its tax filing and payment deadline (but not the deadline to make estimated tax payments) to match the IRS July 15 deadline.

As cases of COVID-19 continue to increase across the country, uncertainty in the construction industry about projects, including potential project risks, proliferates.

The soon to be passed Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act includes these key details surrounding the Health Care Industry, Not-for-Profits, and debt restructurings. 

The SEC extended its previously granted public company regulatory relief and issued staff guidance yesterday regarding disclosure obligations in light of the continued complications associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

On March 24 and 25, the U.S. Department of Labor released guidance on the implementation of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which we wrote about here when it passed last week.

Since last week when we wrote about the “shelter in place” and “stay at home” orders issued in California, New York, and Illinois, many more states have issued similar orders. The general discussion from our prior alert still applies, but below is an up-to-date list of the states that have adopted the stay-at-home approach to fighting the spread of COVID-19.

Like some other states, California has its own state version of the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. 

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a memorandum to State Survey Agency Directors that provides further guidance regarding survey priorities for health care facilities, providers, and clinical laboratories due to COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.

Recent state and local executive orders limit or suspend many operations of California dealers and repair facilities. This alert summarizes the effects and penalties of recent orders, which are changing daily. 

As we reported earlier this week, in an effort to increase the domestic supply of hand sanitizer, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced policies that temporarily relax certain requirements for the production of alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has led to a dramatic increase in the demand for, and a shortage of, hand sanitizer in the US.

On March 13, 2020, the Division of Corporate Finance of the Securities and Exchange Commission published guidance (Staff Guidance for Conducting Annual Meetings in Light of COVID-19 Concerns) to assist issuers of securities in navigating their legal requirements to hold annual meetings.

In response to an executive order by California Governor Gavin Newsom, the California Department of Public Health has issued an All Facilities Letter waiving hospital regulatory requirements and suspending regulatory enforcement until June 30, 2020, with certain exceptions.

Current thinking from public health experts is that COVID-19 will affect the American economy for several months.