"Should We Shield Businesses From COVID-19 Lawsuits?" 28 July 2020

The University of New Hampshire and colleges across the U.S. [have] joined with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business organizations to lobby the federal government for stronger shields against liability claims in the next rescue package.

…"Without temporary liability protections many companies face a daunting choice of either staying closed and risking bankruptcy or reopening and risking a business-crippling lawsuit," said Neil Bradley, an executive at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in a news release. ([NPR] reached out for an interview, but the Chamber of Commerce did not respond.) It wants to relax the legal standard by which businesses can be found accountable, making it so consumers who catch COVID-19 on their premises can win lawsuits only if the businesses proved to be reckless.

…As for workers, their right to sue their employers is very much constrained under current law. Mostly, they have to go through state workers' compensation agencies and federal regulators such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to improve safety in their workplaces. Last week, employees at Maid-Rite Specialty Foods, a meatpacking company in Pennsylvania, took the rare step of suing OSHA and the U.S. secretary of labor on the grounds that they've failed to do enough to protect workers from COVID-19.

[The University of New Hampshire said] it sent out the form to students so they can understand the risks of COVID-19 and "help keep the entire community healthy."