COVID-19 Update
The Coronavirus (Covid-19), has recently been declared a national and state emergency. All of us are justifiably concerned and have a lot of unanswered questions. This is a rapidly changing situation and has caused considerable disruption to businesses, but also to many of our daily lives. FHE continues to follow the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) guidelines and recommendations on the steps FHE can take to not only help prevent the spread of this disease, but help keep our office clean and sanitary, which we hope will keep our employees and clients healthy.
FHE’s office will currently remain open during this time of emergency; however, we will not be scheduling in-person meetings. If you currently have a meeting or court hearing scheduled, please contact your attorney to determine whether it will be rescheduled. Attorneys and essential staff will either be in the office or working remotely. Arrangements will be made if you need to contact an attorney that may be working away from the office. Your legal needs will continue to be met. As of March 13, 2020, the Minnesota District Courts have been ordered to make changes to the court calendars and have cancelled some court hearings. If you have a hearing or mediation scheduled in the next 30 days your attorney will be in contact with you about your particular matter.
You can rest assured that FHE’s employees are all maintaining a safe and sanitary work environment, following common sense hygiene, cleaning frequently, especially computer keyboards, door handles, and common areas.If you are a business owner and have questions on how to implement your own policies to help prevent the spread of this disease, please feel free to contact one of our experienced employment attorneys. We can help address how such policy may impact existing sick leave policies and what legal issues the current situation may raise. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) and Minnesota Department of Human Rights (“MDHR”) have general legal information regarding rights and obligations of employers and employees during this time:
EEOC:
https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/wysk/wysk_ada_rehabilitaion_act_coronavirus.cfm
MDHR:
If you have an appointment scheduled, and you currently have a fever, cough, shortness of breath or flu like symptoms, we respectfully ask that you call to reschedule your appointment. If you do have these symptoms and have a court date scheduled, please call your lawyer as soon as possible.
For your information, here are some links to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) and Minnesota Department of Health (“MDH”) with information on the disease and prevention and preparation tips:
CDC:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
MDH:
https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/index.html
Together, we will do our best to promote the health and safety of our staff and clients, while maintaining operations to ensure your legal needs are met. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation during this public health crisis.