Overview
There continues to be COVID-19 and delta variant surges, and they are affecting many plans for returning to the office. James Drew’s article, “Employers must weigh risks, follow guidance in returning to the office, St. Louis legal experts say” in the St. Louis Business Journal notes that the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) updated its guidelines on August 13, 2021 for protecting workers from the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. Given the high transmission rates in Missouri, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), employers should be considering these guidelines for employees returning to the office. Quoted in the article, Timm Schowalter says that "What (OSHA) does is make sure employers have proper policies and procedures in place and adequate training." So even though it may be difficult to prove COVID-19 was spread at work, employers should be careful with their plans moving forward.
