Working During COVID-19: Tips in Maryland
I. Overview:
The pandemic has been a challenging part of the 2020. Now, this year gladly promises a slow exit from the pandemic and re-opening of employment opportunities.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, national unemployment fell to 6.9% by the end of October 2020. See “Employment Situation Summary,” Press Release, (Nov. 6, 2020), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The job data for Fall 2020 is equivalent to the more tepid, post-recession time of 2010-2012, which is a big improvement over earlier last year. See “U.S. Unemployment Rate: 1948-2020 Data,” Trending Economics, Web site, (last visited Nov. 10, 2020).
II. What Next for 2021:
The U.S. government has extended COVID-19 unemployment relief for early 2021. Maryland has adopted a new One Beacon system for handling state and COVID-19 unemployment benefit claims, whether new or via the new extended benefits. You can find Maryland’s One Beacon here.
If you feel that your workplace is not safe from COVID-19 exposure, you should see what additional measures that you can take at work to protect yourself as well as document what is unsafe about it. If you speak to your employer, and an adequate change cannot be made to protect your safety, you may be eligible for unemployment benefits if quitting for “good cause” of reasonable fear of COVID-19 infection, under Maryland’s expanded unemployment benefits law.
You also may be eligible for worker’s compensation if you contract COVID-19 at work, especially if it was foreseeable. You may need to consult a worker’s compensation and/or employment attorney about what are your best options.
III: What Can We Do For You?
Mosson Law, LLC offers remote legal consultations to help employees navigate the COVID-19 workplace. We only implemented this change to keep Marylanders safe. The remote consultations since March 2020 through 2021 have been very effective.
Mosson Law, LLC has also published articles on a variety of related topics. See below and check out what may help:
Maryland Passes New Law to Help Employees Affected by COVID-19 (Legal Update)
Maryland Passes New Law to Help Employees Affected by COVID-19 (Legal Update)
What Is a Remote Consultation: A Guide
Unemployment Benefits FAQ (Maryland)
Five Tips To Help You Prepare For An Employment Consultation
More About Mosson Law:
If you are looking for an employment and family law attorney, get in touch with us at Mosson Law, LLC.
We are a Law Firm based in Towson offering legal services to clients across Baltimore County including Lutherville, Timonium, Mays Chapel, Monkton, Baltimore City, and across Maryland. We were considering expanding but have put the thought on hold for the moment because of different laws and rules.
If you are looking for a better understanding of the services that we provide, click here. If you want to get in touch with us for the assistance of services that we can provide, please click here.