Stay Informed: COVID-19 Resource Page

April 7, 2021

Nexsen Pruet is working around the clock to support our clients and communities during these unprecedented times. If your organization needs help navigating the rapidly changing environment, Nexsen Pruet has the legal and communications experience and resources to guide you accordingly. See below for an extensive list of resources by practice area and through our subsidiaries. 

Please check back frequently as we will update this page with the latest information and insights.

COVID-19 Response Team Leader, David E. Dubberly

Banking & Financial Services

COVID-19 Response Team Members, Brooks F. Bossong; Keith Burns

• VIDEO: New PPP Funding and Important Considerations for Lenders (March 19, 2021)
  
  
• Mythbuster: Why COVID Hasn't Caused as Many Bankruptcy Filings (Yet) as You Think (March 18, 2021)
  
  
• Farm Credit and Agribusiness Highlights from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (December 30, 2020)

• New North Carolina Commercial Receivership Act (August 5, 2020)
  
  
• What's the Deal? Bankruptcy Tips and News (July 24, 2020)
  
  
• Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (July 15, 2020)
  
  
• Christy Myatt on Options for Companies in Need of Financial Relief Following COVID-19 (May 27, 2020)
  
  
• Suzi Grigg on Bankruptcy and Coming out of the Pandemic (May 18,2020)

• Need a Loan Modification? ASK! - Guidance on the CARES Act and Banking (April 2, 2020)

Business

COVID-19 Response Team Member, David S. Robinson

• Panel Discussion: Getting Your Business Ready to Sell (January 20, 2021) 
  
  
• VIDEO: Bobby Robinson on Promoting Health-Related Products to void FTC Involvement (September 25, 2020)
  
  
• VIDEO: Yolanda Davis on Strategies for Non-Profits to Navigate Performance and Well-Being Challenges During the Pandemic (September 25, 2020)

• PPP Loan Audits: What to Expect, and How to Appeal (September 16, 2020)

• USDA Grants Help Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers (July 31, 2020)

• Cash Shortages and Credit Only - Are Businesses Allowed to Refuse Cash Payments? (July 29, 2020)

• VIDEO: Keith Burns Discusses Maintaining the Triangle's Vibrant Business Market (June 23, 2020)

• VIDEO: Kelly Jones on Considerations Regarding Workplace Safety During COVID-19 (June 23, 2020)

• Deadlines Extended – IRS Provides Relief to Qualified Opportunity Funds and its Investors (June 8, 2020)

• VIDEO: Ashleigh Greene on Continuity and Growth of Business During the COVID-19 Pandemic (June 5, 2020)

• Main Street Lending Program to Roll Out Shortly (June 2, 2020)

• North Carolina: Enforceability of Non-Compete Agreements During a Pandemic (June 1, 2020) 

• So you Received PP Funds, Now What? SBA Releases Forgiveness Application (May 28, 2020)

• Phase 2 Reopening - On-Premise Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages (May 27, 2020)

• Peter Santos Talks Business Changes Following COVID-19 (May 21, 2020)

• Ken Lewis on Identifying Opportunities for Businesses Following COVID-19 (May 21, 2020)

• COVID-19 Next Steps: What are Next Steps as Businesses Begin to Re-open Amid the Crisis? (May 19, 2020)

• Returning to Healthy Business operations in the Age of COVID-19 Advance Planning Checklist and Considerations (May 1, 2020)

• The CARES Act's Paycheck Protection Program Expands the SBA 7(a) Loan Program (May 1, 2020)

• WEBINAR: COVID-19 Assistance Program For Small Businesses and Non-Profits (April 28, 2020)

• More Relief Funding, Finally Some Guidance for Self- Employed Individuals Trying to Get a PPP Loan (April 28, 2020)

• COVID-19 in South Carolina; Winning the Breach of Contact Fight over Force Majeure, Impossibility and Frustration of Purpose (April 27, 2020)

• COVID-19 in North Carolina; Winning the Breach of Contract Fight over Force Majeure, Impossibility and Frustration of Purpose (April 27, 2020)

• Webinar: Funding Options for Small, Minority and Women-Owned Businesses to Address COVID-19 (April 23, 2020)

• Leading Through Challenge (April 17, 2020)

• Registration of a North Carolina Business as Essential (March 30, 2020)
  
  
• Think Twice About Claiming Essential Critical Industry Status (March 25, 2020)

• Client Alert: COVID-19 Critical Infrastructure Services (March 20, 2020)

• SBA Disaster Loan Program Eligibility (March 19, 2020)

• SBA Disaster Assistance in Response to the Coronavirus (March 19, 2020)

• COVID - 19 Impact on Alcohol Sales in North Carolina (March 19, 2020)

• COVID - 19 Impact on Alcohol Sales in South Carolina (March 19, 2020)

Construction

COVID-19 Response Team Member, Eric H. Biesecker

• Eric Biesecker Discusses COVID-19 Impact on the Construction Industry (June 12, 2020- Updated January 13, 2021)

• OSHA Releases COVID-19 Guidance for the Construction Workforce (April 23, 2020)

• COVID-19 Impacts - The CARES Act and the Construction Industry (April 6, 2020)

• Construction Industry Employers and COVID-19 (March 30, 2020)

• COVID-19's Impact on Construction Projects (March 17, 2020)

Economic Development

COVID-19 Response Team Members, Tushar Chikhliker (SC); Ernie Pearson (NC)

• When You Cannot Afford to Get It Wrong (September 4, 2020)

• VIDEO: John Skvarla on North Carolina and South Carolina Economic Development (June 5, 2020)

• COVID-19 Silver Linings for Economic Development (May 11, 2020)

• Act Now - SBA Loans Available (April 3, 2020)

• What You Need to Know About the NC Stay at Home Order (March 30th, 2020)

• Shelter in Place Impacts on Manufacturing and Distribution Facilities (March 25, 2020)

Employment

COVID-19 Response Team Members, David E. Dubberly (SC); Bridget A. Blinn-Spears (NC)

• There's No Leaving It at the Office: Workplace Harassment When Working from Home (March 9, 2021)
  
  
• Providing Incentives Can Be "Taxing" (February 23, 2021)
  
  
• Employers Begin Offering COVID-19 Vaccination Incentives as an Alternative to Mandating the Vaccine. But is Doing So Risky? (February 23, 2021)
  
  
• OSHA Issues New Guidance for Employers on COVID-19 (February 15, 2021)
  
  
• One Year of COVID-19: Helping Clients Navigate a Crisis (January 26, 2021)
  
  
• National Pro-Union Policy Shift Has Begun (January 26, 2021)
  
  
• Dealing with the Opiod Threat in the Construction Industry (January 20,2021) 
  
  
• In 2021, More States and More Mandates for E-Verify (January 20, 2021)
  
  
• U.S. Department of Labor Finalizes New Independent Contractor Rule, but will it Last? (January 8, 2021) 
  
  
• 2021: We Thought You Would Never Get Here, and Now that You Are, What Can Employers Expect (January 6, 2021)

• PPP Changes in Wake of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (December 30, 2020)
  
  
• It's a Roll of the Dice: The Fate of the CARES Act and FFCRA Under Congress's New Stimulus Bill (December 29, 2020)
  
  
• EEOC Issues Guidance Regarding Mandatory Vaccines (December 18, 2020)
  
  
• Fourth Circuit Ruling Finds Employee is not a "Qualified Individual" under ADA when Employee Fails to Comply with Valid Safety Requirement (December 16, 2020)
  
  
• Can, and Should, Employers Require that Employees be Vaccinated for COVID-19? (December 7, 2020)
  
  
• Employers can expect OSHA to issues emergency rule for COVID-19 early in Biden Administration (November 10, 2020)
  
  
• ADA Claims Fail When Employee Accepts Lateral Transfer (November 04, 2020)

• How Employers Can Ensure Federal Law Compliance by Following Updated EEOC Guidance on COVID-19 Screening and Testing Protocols (October 28, 2020)

• Revised Department of Labor Regulations Necessitate Job-Specific Assessment by health Care Providers for Employees' Potential FFCRA Leave Entitlement (September 21, 2020)

• Pandemic Pitfalls for the Unwary: NLRA Rights for Non-Union Employees (September 21, 2020)

• As OSHA Enforcement Increases, Workplace Safety Compliance Could Reduce Need for More Coronavirus-Related Lockdowns (September 17, 2020)

• DOL Revises Rules Governing FFCRA COVID-19 Related Leave (September 15, 2020)

• EEOC Updates COVID-19 Guidance (September 10, 2020)

• VIDEO: Bridget Blinn-Spears on Recent Shifts in EEOC's Enforcement Efforts During the Pandemic (August 31, 2020)

• VIDEO: Nikole Mergo on Companies Offering COVID-19 Testing (August 31, 2020)

• Employers Reopened and Employees Returned to Work . . . Now What? (August 20, 2020)

• Who is Filing Coronavirus-Related OSHA Complaints? (July 21, 2020)

• Employers' Great Balancing Act in Reopening: An Update for Employers on Returning to Work (June 29, 2020)

• What Should Businesses Tell Employees and Third Parties When an Employee Tests Positive for COVID-19? (June 29, 2020)

• WEBINAR: Returning to Work: Workplace Safety Issues (June 12, 2020)

• IRS Provides Cafeteria Plans New Temporary COVID-19 Flexibility (June 11, 2020)

• Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 (June 10, 2020) 

• School is Out For Summer - Is FFCRA Leave Out Too? (June 10, 2020)

• PPP Loan Forgiveness (May 27, 2020)

• OSHA Revises Guidance for Recording Work-Related COVID-19 Cases (May 22, 2020)

• Mark Bakker Discusses Returning to Business Operations and Three Steps for a Healthy Restart (May 19, 2020)

• Melissa Spence Discusses Returning to Work in the COVID-19 Pandemic (May 13, 2020)

• OSHA and the CDC Continue to Issue COVID-19 Related Guidance (May 6, 2020)

• Understanding the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program: What Employers Need to Know About the Department of Labor's Recent Guidance to State Workforce Agencies (May 6, 2020)

• Returning to Healthy Business Operations in the Age of COVID-19 Advance Planning Checklist and Considerations (May 1, 2020)

• WEBINAR: Managing the Work Place in a Pandemic  (April 23,2020)

• OSHA Issues Industry-Specific Guidance (April 17, 2020)

• WEBINAR: Fine-tuning FFCRA Response (April 14, 2020)

• WEBINAR: Workplace Privacy in the Context of Coronavius (April 8, 2020)

• VIDEO- The Paycheck Protection Program (April 8, 2020)

• Five Things to Consider when Calculating Qualified Health Plan Expenses Under the FFCRA (April 7, 2020)

• The CARES Act’s Pay check Protection Program Expands the SBA 7(a) Loan Program (Updated: April 3, 2020)

• Department of Labor Provides Much Needed Clarification on FFCRA Exclusions for Health Care Providers, Emergency Responders and Small Business (March 30, 2020)

• DOL Provides Initial Guidance and Sample Posting on New Paid Leave Laws (March 26, 2020)

• COVID-19: Managing HR, Benefits, and Immigration Challenges During the Pandemic (March 20, 2020)

• New Federal Law Provides Emergency Paid Sick and Family and Medical Leave (March 19, 2020)

• COVID - 19 European Travel Ban (March 12, 2020)

• Coronoavirus Outbreak: Employment and Contract Law Issues (March 12, 2020)

• OSHA Published Resources on Coronavirus Outbreak (January 29, 2020)

Environmental

COVID-19 Response Team Member, Michael Traynham

• Environmental Compliance in the Time of COVID (September 16, 2020)

• In the Absence of Federal Standards, States Step in to Regulate PFAS (August 5, 2020)

• Updated NEPA Regulations Issues, Likely to be Challenged (July 17, 2020)

• EPA to Terminate Temporary COVID-19 Enforcement Policy (July 2, 2020)

• VIDEO: Mary Shahid Discusses How to Proceed in Preparing a Permit Application with State and Federal Agencies (June 5, 2020)

• State Regulators Address COVID-19 Related Environmental Compliance Challenges; Create Mailbox for Requests for Regulatory Relief
  (March 27, 2020)

• Temporary Federal Enforcement Discretion Policy to Respond to COVID-19 (March 27, 2020)

Government

COVID-19 Response Team Members, Bob Coble (SC); David P. Ferrell (NC)

• NC Legislative Update: March 19, 2021
  
  
• NC Legislative Update: March 15, 2021
  
  
• NC Legislative Update: March 5, 2021
   
• NC Legislative Update: February 26, 2021
  
  
• Property Tax Revaluations During the COVID-19 Pandemic (February 22, 2021)
  
  
• NC Legislative Update: February 19, 2021
  
  
• NC Legislative Update: February 12, 2021
  
  
• NC Legislative Update: February 5, 2021
  
  
• NC Legislative Update: January 2021
  
  
• NC Legislative Update: December 18, 2020
  
  
• NC Legislative Updated: Election Recap: November 4, 2020
  
  
• North Carolina's Phase II Extended Five Weeks (August 6, 2020)
  
  
• NC Legislative Update: July 9, 2020
  
  
• VIDEO: Sam Johnson Discusses COVID-19 Issues in SC That Impact How Our Clients Do Business (June 29, 2020)

• NC Legislative Update: June 30, 2020

• NC Legislative Update: June 22, 2020 

• NC Legislative Update: June 12, 2020

• NC Legislative Update: June 5, 2020

• NC Legislative Update: May 29, 2020

• NC Legislative Update: May 20, 2020
  

• David Ferrell on North Carolina's Efforts to Help Business During the COVID-19 Pandemic (May 19, 2020)

• NC Legislative Update: May 7, 2020
  

• NC Legislative Update: May 4, 2020

• NC Legislative Update: April 27, 2020 

• NC Legislative Update: April 14, 2020 

• NC Legislative Update: April 3, 2020 

• Stay at Home Order Issued for Mecklenburg Country in Response to COVID-19 (March 24, 2020)

Health Care

COVID-19 Response Team Members, Darra James Coleman; Matthew B. Roberts

• Rapid Rise in Telehealth Leads to Significant Oversight: How to Prepare Now for New Audit Activities (March 19, 2021)
  
  
• Behavioral Health Scores a Big Win with Telehealth Waivers During Pandemic, but Audit Risks are High (February 16, 2021)
  
  
• Top Ten Health Care Issues to Follow in the Carolinas in 2021 (January 29, 2021)
  
  
• Update on Hospital Price Transparency Rules Effective January 1, 2021 (January 12, 2021)
  
  
• To Combat COVID-19 Surge, CMS Expands the "Hospitals Without Walls" Program by Launching the "Acute Hospital Care At Home" Initiative, as well as Implementing Increased Flexibility for Ambulatory Surgery Centers (December 7, 2020)
  
  
• Federal Agencies Warn Health Care and Public Health Sector of Ransomware Threat (October 30, 2020)
  
  
• Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilitates Visitation in South Carolina: New DHEC Guidance and Enforcement (October 28, 2020)

• HIPAA Enforcement Remains Strong in 2020 (October 26, 2020)

• How Confident Should Consumers Be? Types of Tests and Recent Regulatory Actions to Enhance COVID-19 Testing Integrity (October 23, 2020)

• CMS is Here to Help with Temporary Expansions (September 14, 2020)
  
  
• CMS Releases Extensive Updated FAQ on Medicare COVID-19 Billing and Documentation Issues and Cares Act Provisions (August 27, 2020)

• Serving on the Board of Directors of a Health Care Provider Organization During COVID-19 (August 17, 2020)

• HHS Informs Providers of the Timing of Provider Relief Fund Reporting Requirements (August 14, 2020)

• Preparing for Increased Nursing Facility Survey Activity Related to COVID-19 and Infection Control (July 31, 2020)

• The Pros and Cons of Federal COVID-19 Liability Protections (July 29, 2020)

• HHS Office of Inspector General Work Plan Update: News Items Added (July 23, 2020)

• CMS Directs Increased Nursing Facility Survey Activity and Penalties Related to COVID-19 and Infectious Control (July 22, 2020)

• Federal Distribution of Point-of-Care COVID-19 Testing Instruments for Nursing Homes Begins This Week (July 17, 2020)

• Key Steps In Responding to a COVID-driven OSHA Complaint (July 12, 2020)

• DHEC Issues Guidance to S.C. Employers on COVID-19 Exposure Scenarios (July 8, 2020)

• Hamilton Barber Discusses Procuring the Proper Personal Protective Equipment (June 29, 2020)

• Staying Ahead of Changes to the Bad Debt Rule (June 18, 2020)

• FDA Revises its Enforcement Policy for Respirators During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (June 3, 2020)

• Matthew Roberts on SCBIO Webinar: Next Up - How SC Healthcare is Taking on COVID-19 (May 22nd, 2020)

• FTC Warns Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities Not to Take Residents' Stimulus Checks (May 20, 2020)

• A Glimpse at Recent State and Federal COVID-19 Testing Developments (May 12, 2020)

• CMS Puts an End to the AAP Program on April 26, 2020 (April 30, 2020)

• North Carolina Government Powers During Emergencies (April 24, 2020)

• Nexsen Pruet and SCHA Team UP for a Q&A on Labor Related COVID-19 Topics (April 21, 2020)

• COVID-19 Fraud and Law Enforcement Responses - In the Middle of the Pandemic, the Government Warns it Very Much CARES About Compliance and Enforcement (April 17, 2020)

• CMS Issues Blanket Waivers of the Stark Law in Response to COVID-19 Emergency (April 9,2020)

• Emergency Health Powers Act (April 1, 2020)

• SC and NC Emergency Regulatory Changes and Telehealth: Guidance, Implementation, and Pitfalls (March 27, 2020

Intellectual Property

COVID-19 Response Team Member, Mike Mann

• Deadline for Filing Certain Patent-Related Documents and Fees Extended a Third Time to July 1, 2020 (Updated July 21, 2020)
  
  
• Missed US Patent and Trademark Deadlines Because of COVID-19? (May 8, 2020)

International

COVID-19 Response Team Members, David J. Garrett; David S. Robinson 

• VIDEO: David Garrett on Traveling to the United States with COVID Restrictions (August 31, 2020)

• SBA Interim Final Rule on PPP Participants with Foreign Affiliates Creates a Safe Harbor for Borrowers (May 18, 2020)

• Phase One Progress - A Partial Thaw in Trade Relations Between the US and China (March 10, 2020)