government.nl (15.03.2020) The coronavirus COVID-19, and the measures taken to restrict the spreading of the coronavirus in the Netherlands, have a huge impact on the Dutch economy, and affect business and employees. The measures announced on 12, 17, 23, and 31 March, to curb the spreading of the coronavirus, mean significant loss of turnover for many businesses. The Dutch government is taking measures to help entrepreneurs affected by the crisis. The government has announced extensive measures to help businesses that have been affected by the corona pandemic.  The reduction in working hours scheme has been reintroduced, the Tax and Customs Administration may defer payment of taxes, while the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy is expanding the SME loan guarantee scheme. This scheme enables business owners in for example the hospitality or travel sector, who face problems because they have had to close their business or because their customers are staying at home, to borrow money more easily.

Treasury.gov.au (01.04.2020)

The Australian Government is providing financial assistance to Australians to support them through the Coronavirus. This assistance includes income support payments, payments to support households and temporary early releases of superannuation.

Le vaccin BCG aurait des conséquences sur le développement réduit du Covid16 chez les enfants...

regjeringen.no (16.03.2020)

The government has proposed two new loan measures, providing support of a total of NOK 100 billion. The package will improve Norwegian businesses’ access to the necessary liquidity in the challenging situation they are now facing. The Government has proposed to establish a state guarantee targeted at bank loans to small and medium-sized enterprises suffering losses as a result of the extraordinary situation arising from the spread of the corona virus. The initial package of NOK 50 billion will be increased if needed. The Government has proposed to reinstate the Government Bond Fund (NOK 50 billion, to be invested in bonds issued by Norwegian companies.). This will contribute to increased liquidity and access to capital in the Norwegian bond market, where larger companies typically raise their funding.

whitehouse.gov (18.03.2020)

The Family First Coronavirus Response  Act provides free coronavirus diagnostic testing for the American people, regardless of their economic circumstances or health coverage.

gov.ie (20.03.2020) Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty provided an update on developments regarding her department’s Employer Refund Scheme. The new scheme allows the employer to pay the worker €203 and receive a refund from the State in the circumstances where the employer has ceased trading and as a result of financial difficulty have to temporarily lay off staff. Employers engaged with the scheme will be allowed to top up the payment provided by the State. The details are now being finalised and will be announced early next week.

regjeringen.no (20/03/2020)

The outbreak of Covid-19 is serious for life and health. To counter the outbreak, strong measures have been taken in Norway as well as in other parts of the world. The event will have a major impact on the economy and significantly weigh on economic activity in the short term. The uncertainty about the impact is huge. Overview of tax-related measures to mitigate effects of Covid-19:

• Change corporate tax regulations so that companies that are lossmaking can re-allocate their loss towards previous years’ taxed surplus.
• Change the tax regulations so that owners of lossmaking companies can postpone payments of wealth tax.
• Suspend the tax on air passengers for flights in the period from 1 January until 31 October 2020.
• Suspend payments of aviation charges until 31 June 2020.
• Reduce the low rate of VAT, which includes passenger transport, accommodation and parts of the cultural sector, from 12 to 8 per cent in the period from March 20 to October 31, 2020.
• Defer the deadline for payment of the first VAT period from 14 April to 10 June 2020.
• Postpone the deadline for payment of the second tax installment for companies from 15 April to 1 September 2020.
• Postpone the deadline for payment of employers' contributions from 15 May to 15 August 2020.

regjeringen.no (13.03.2020)

The Government has today announced immediate measures to avoid unnecessary layoffs and bankruptcies in viable companies from the economic shock of COVID-19, and will in the coming weeks and months monitor the situation closely and act appropriately to respond to the situation as it evolves. The government is working on measures in three phases. In all three phases, measures should be targeted, effective and reversible. In phase 1, the government has prioritized immediate measures to avoid unnecessary layoffs and bankruptcies in viable companies that face an abrupt fall in income. To that end, the government has today announced the following measures: Measures in the health care system to handle the acute crisis. This include securing necessary equipment and personnel. Reduce the number of days that employers are obliged to pay salary to workers at temporary lay-offs, from 15 to 2 days. This will be a temporary measure to improve companies’ liquidity and help avoid massive lay-offs. Remove the three waiting days between the period when employers have to provide salary to workers in temporary layoffs and the period when the workers are entitled to daily unemployment benefits. This will reduce the loss of income for workers. The Government proposes to increase support for skills enhancement and corporate training. During a period of lower activity, it may be beneficial for companies to increase their efforts to strengthen the skills of employees. The county municipalities will receive increased funding for this purpose in order to meet regional needs. This will benefit both employees and companies in the slightly longer term.

canada.ca (23.03.2020)

We continue to support people experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 outbreak by providing $157.5 million to the Reaching Home initiative. The funding could be used for a range of needs such as purchasing beds and physical barriers for social distancing and securing accommodation to reduce overcrowding in shelters.

regjeringen.no (13.03.2020)

The government is now presenting the first and necessary immediate measures to secure jobs and help businesses in a demanding situation. The comprehensive measures taken in recent days both here at home and in many countries are necessary to limit infection. They have consequences for the individual, for Norwegian companies, jobs and employees, and for society at large.  The government proposes to take measures in the health care system to deal with the emergency situation. The objective is to safeguard the necessary access to medicines, medical devices and resources to conduct necessary corona tests. Efforts may be needed from health care professionals who have retired. The Government propose a legislative change so that efforts in connection with the outbreak of virus do not lead to a reduction of the pension.

regjeringen.no (17.03.2020)

Kindergarten and school are now closed shallow corona eruptions. This has financial consequences for both parents and kindergartens. Now the government has decided that parents should not have to pay, and that kindergartens should cover the loss of parental payment. In addition, the kindergartens must be paid the usual subsidy from the municipality. The exemption from parental payment in kindergarten and SFO also applies to parental payment for children who, for various reasons, receive an offer during this period, to be convicted because the parent has key positions.

nav.no (23.03.2020)

During the corona pandemic, NAV accepts sick leave without personal attendance, regardless of the patient's diagnosis. The same applies to other types of medical certificates. The doctor assesses whether it is professionally justifiable to write a sick leave or medical certificate without personal attendance. NAV also accepts sick leave reports from manual therapists and chiropractors without personal attendance.  No medical certificate required to use care days: employees, freelancers and self-employed persons have the right to use care days if the kindergarten or school closes due to the coronavirus. 

governo.it (16.03.2020)

In order to avoid the lack of liquidity for businesses and families, numerous interventions have been envisaged, including through collaboration with the banking system. The measures mainly include credit support for families and micro, small and medium enterprises, through the banking system and the use of the central guarantee fund.

bmfsfj.de (31.03.2020) Familien mit kleinen Einkommen können einen monatlichen Kinderzuschlag (KiZ) von bis zu 185 Euro erhalten. Ob und in welcher Höhe der KiZ gezahlt wird, hängt von mehreren Faktoren ab - vor allem vom eigenen Einkommen, den Wohnkosten, der Größe der Familie und dem Alter der Kinder. So kann eine Familie mit zwei Kindern und einer Warmmiete von 1.000 Euro den KiZ erhalten, wenn das gemeinsame Bruttoeinkommen rund 1.600 bis 3.300 Euro beträgt. Wer Kinderzuschlag erhält, ist zudem von den Kita-Gebühren befreit und kann zusätzliche Leistungen für Bildung und Teilhabe beantragen.

Eine weitere Anpassung: Wenn Sie bisher schon den höchstmöglichen KiZ von 185 Euro pro Kind erhalten, wird Ihre Bewilligung ohne erneute Prüfung automatisch um weitere sechs Monate verlängert. Wenn Sie nicht den höchstmöglichen KiZ von 185 Euro beziehen, Ihr Einkommen sich aufgrund der Corona-Pandemie aber verringert hat, können Sie einmalig in den Monaten April oder Mai einen Überprüfungsantrag stellen. Sie können dann gegebenenfalls auch den Notfall-KiZ erhalten. Den Notfall-KiZ kann man jedoch nicht zusätzlich zum KiZ bekommen.

bmas.de (30.03.2020)

Das Sozialdienstleister-Einsatzgesetz (SodEG) regelt: Den Einsatz sozialer Dienstleister zur Krisenbewältigung und einen Sicherstellungsauftrag der Leistungsträger für soziale Dienstleister. Die sozialen Dienstleister sollen bei der Krisenbewältigung mit den ihnen zur Verfügung stehenden Kapazitäten unterstützen. Als Ausgleich für die Bereitstellung freier Kapazitäten übernehmen die sozialen Leistungsträger (mit Ausnahme der gesetzlichen Krankenversicherung und der sozialen Pflegeversicherung) einen Sicherstellungsauftrag für diese sozialen Dienstleister. Die gesetzliche Regelung umfasst alle sozialen Dienstleister und Einrichtungen, die mit den Leistungsträgern im Zeitraum des Inkrafttretens von Maßnahmen nach dem Infektionsschutzgesetz zur Bekämpfung der Auswirkungen der Coronavirus-Pandemie in Leistungsbeziehungen stehen.

Durch den Sicherstellungsauftrag wird eine Rechtsgrundlage geschaffen, durch welche die Leistungsträger bei Vorliegen der Voraussetzungen weiterhin Zahlungen an die sozialen Dienstleister und Einrichtungen erbringen und zwar unabhängig davon, ob diese ihre ursprünglich vereinbarte Leistung tatsächlich ausführen oder nicht. Der Sicherstellungsauftrag soll durch monatliche Zuschüsse der Leistungsträger an die sozialen Einrichtungen und Dienste erfolgen. Dabei wird ein Betrag zugrunde gelegt, der grundsätzlich monatlich höchstens 75 Prozent des Durchschnittsbetrages der letzten 12 Monate entspricht. Bei kürzeren Leistungszeiträumen wird dieser (kürzere) Zeitraum zu Grunde gelegt. Die Leistungsträger, d.h. BA, DRV, GUV und die nach Landesrecht zuständigen Stellen der Jugend- und Eingliederungshilfe, können in ihren eigenen Zuständigkeitsbereichen jeweils eine abweichende Zuschusshöhe festlegen, wenn sie dies für erforderlich halten. Soweit ein sozialer Dienstleister weiterhin seine eigenen Aufgaben erfüllt, fließen vorrangig die vereinbarten Zahlungen der Leistungsträger.

governo.it (16.03.2020)

Measures to strengthen the economic support for families, workers and businesses related to the epidemiological emergency from COVID-19 (decree-law). Specific support for workers and companies, with the aim that no one should lose their job because of the emergency.

Hier finden Sie Informationen der AUVA für Arbeitgeberinnen und Arbeitgeber zu Schutzmaßnahmen betreffend Coronavirus.

• Betriebliche Maßnahmen
• Hygiene in der Arbeitsstätte
• Persönliche Hygiene
• Was ist zu tun, wenn eine Person verdächtige Symptome am Arbeitsplatz aufweist?
• Verhindern einer Ausbreitung der Infektionen am Arbeitsplatz
• Bereiten Sie Ihren Betrieb für den Fall vor, dass COVID-19 bei Ihnen auftritt
• Was ist bezüglich Reisen zu beachten?
• COVID-19-Schutzmaßnahmen auf Baustellen
• Welche Symptome deuten auf Coronavirus (COVID-19) hin?
• Best Practice
• Video
• Materialien zum Download
• Links zum Thema

bundesregierung.de (26.03.2020)

Um für ausreichend Arbeitskräfte zu sorgen und Lohnlücken abzufedern, wurden darüber hinaus für Bezieher von Kurzarbeitergeld Anreize geschaffen, in ihrer arbeitsfreien Zeit freiwillig zu helfen. Mit dem Sozialschutz-Paket wurden die Zuverdienst-Möglichkeiten für Kurzarbeiter vergrößert. Zudem wird die Zeitgrenze für die kurzfristige sozialversicherungsfreie Beschäftigung von Saisonkräften auf fünf Monate ausgeweitet. Davon profitiert besonders die Landwirtschaft.

governo.it (16.03.2020)

The Council of Ministers, on the proposal of President Giuseppe Conte and the Minister of Economy and Finance, Roberto Gualtieri, approved a decree-law introducing measures to strengthen the national health service and economic support for families, workers and related businesses the epidemiological emergency from COVID-19. The decree intervenes with measures on four main fronts and other sectoral measures: financing and other measures to strengthen the national health system, civil protection and other public bodies involved in the emergency; support to employment and workers for the protection of work and income; credit support for families and micro, small and medium enterprises, through the banking system and the use of the central guarantee fund; suspension of payment obligations for taxes and contributions as well as other tax obligations and tax incentives for the sanitation of workplaces and bonuses for employees who remain in service.

Die SUVA bietet  allgemeine Informationen sowie  Informationsblätter an, die auf Deutsch, Französisch und Italienisch erhältlich sind. 

PDF: Merkblatt Gesundheitsschutz COVID19  (DE), (FR), (IT)
PDF: Checkliste Baustellen COVID19 (DE), (FR), (IT)

Weitere Informationen finden Sie in den Empfehlungen des Bundesamtes für Gesundheit.

***

SUVA offers some general information as well as information sheets, available in German, French and Italian:
PDF: Health and safety information sheet COVID19  (DE), (FR), (IT)
PDF: Checklist construction sites COVID19  (DE), (FR), (IT)

For more information please refer to the recommendations of the Swiss Federal Office for Health.

To help leaders and their employees face the challenges ahead, Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS) and HowattHR have launched this Psychological Safety Blog. It will be a trusted source for information, tools and resources to help leaders protect the health, safety and wellness of their people by addressing the mental health impacts of the pandemic and the social isolation. There are a significant number of mental health resources that can be found on the blog page, and as partners come forward. 

Switzerland is one of the countries most affected by the coronavirus, with over 16,000 positive tests and almost 400 deaths.

Here’s the latest: 

• As of March 31, 16,250 people have tested positive and 395 people have died, according to an aggregate of cantonal statistics.  By March 30, some CHF6.6 billion in emergency loans (out of an available fund of CHF20 billion) had been agreed with around 32,000 companies. Nearly 16% of the workforce is on shortened hours. The government has issued a recommendation to all citizens to stay at home, especially the sick and the elderly. It has announced a countrywide ban on gatherings of more than five people and more measures to help support the economy. Cantons can close manufacturing plants to cease operation if they follow criteria set down by the federal authorities. An “extraordinary situation” has been declared, resulting in a ban on all private and public events and closing bars, restaurants, sports and cultural spaces; only businesses providing essential goods remain open. Schools are closed nationwide. The measures are in force until April 19.

bundesregierung.de (31.03.2020)

Durch die Corona-Krise besteht ein besonders hoher Bedarf an medizinischem Personal. Aber auch in anderen systemrelevanten Bereichen kann es zu Personalengpässen aufgrund von Erkrankungen oder Quarantäneanordnungen kommen. Deshalb erleichtert das Gesetz Rentnerinnen und Rentnern die Weiterarbeit oder die Wiederaufnahme einer Beschäftigung. Dazu hebt sie die jährliche Hinzuverdienstgrenze vorübergehend von 6.300 Euro auf 44.590 Euro an.

natlawreview.com (27.03.2020)

Measures benefiting children or families with children

$3.5 billion in additional funding for Child Care Development Block Grants to provide childcare assistance to healthcare sector employees, emergency responders, sanitation workers, and other essential workers.

$25 billion for food assistance, including nearly $16 billion for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and nearly $9 billion for child nutrition.

Paid leave: Creates a limitation stating an employer (with less than 500 employees) shall not be required to pay more than $511 per day and $5,100 in the aggregate for sick leave or more than $200 per day and $2,000 in the aggregate to care for a quarantined individual or child for each employee. As a reminder, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (P.L. 116-127) enacted in mid-March requires employers with less than 500 employees to grant full time employees 80 hours of sick leave if needed to deal with virus-related health issues (with part-time employees eligible for the typical number of hours they work). Employees are also eligible for up to twelve weeks of paid leave (at two-thirds the individual’s earnings) if needed to care for a family member or small child due to the virus.

home.kpmg (27.03.2020)

The CARES Act allows employers and self-employed individuals to defer payment of the employer share (6.2%) of the social security tax they otherwise are responsible for paying in 2020, effective for payments due after March 27, 2020.  Fifty percent of the deferred payroll taxes are due on December 31, 2021, and the remaining amounts are due on December 31, 2022.