COVID-19 Update September 8, 2020

The end of summer marks a much-anticipated return from Congress, more and more schools across the country kicking off the school year, and an imminent change in weather. Before the House and the Senate went on recess, stimulus talks ended in a stalemate, and it looks like we still won’t be getting answers for at least another week or so. Meanwhile, the Social Security tax deferral memorandum continues to confuse employers, especially as it relates to PPP loans. The Senate is back in session tomorrow, while the House will be holding off on floor action until next week. Plus, the slowly creeping presidential election is expected to slow things even further.

With the onset of so many people working remotely, hackers are starting to use this situation to their advantage via Vishing Attacks. The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are warning employers about an ongoing voice-phishing (“vishing”) campaign targeting remote workers. It’s estimated that these attacks began in mid-July and involve criminals creating fake websites that duplicate the virtual private network (VPN) login pages for targeted companies. They then pose as the information technology (IT) help desk of those companies when calling employees, to gain their trust and get them to log in to the mock VPN. Please make sure anyone that has remote access into your system follows proper protocol at all times.

It’s a whole new world with COVID-19, particularly for what companies must track to remain compliant under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). Employers subject to these regulations must record any significant work-related injury or illness that is diagnosed by a physician or other licensed healthcare professional using OSHA’s Forms 300, 300A, and 301. Please contact our risk/safety department if you have any questions.