Coronavirus Disease 2019 - COVID-19

How The Law Center Can Help

If you are a business owner who is struggling to stay afloat or have been laid off from your job due to COVID-19, or if you are still employed but your workplace conditions are less than ideal and might even transgress basic employee rights, The Law Center can help. We connect our clients with the top lawyers in the country who can help them navigate these uncertain times, and get them the financial help they are entitled to.

Layoffs Due to COVID-19

One of the most immediate and notable repercussions of the coronavirus outbreak is the increase in layoffs across industries. Employees are either being temporarily sent home on leave or laid off entirely, particularly in job sectors where most of the work requires dealing with the public. Even with the potential to come back once business picks up again, the immediate and short-term loss of wages can be crippling for many. “Future” wages don’t mean much to those who need money to make this month’s rent.

When most Americans don’t have $1,000 saved for an emergency, it’s clear that this unemployment crisis could have long-term repercussions for individuals and the economy as a whole.

Many people are applying for unemployment for the first time and looking for other benefits to help them get through this trying period. An employment attorney can be helpful when understanding legal allowances and terms. Despite their supposed purpose, many benefits programs are difficult to decipher at best. This makes it tough for the average citizen to get the help they need until the situation improves.

Employment attorneys can help you find which programs will provide you the most benefits and how to safely and quickly transition from a paycheck to a relief check. They can also help you figure out how to make your programs last as long as needed for this crisis.

COVID-19 Is Causing Mass School Closures

School is a basic and integral part of any society. With children now all home from school, it is quickly becoming apparent how necessary it really is. In addition to the education component of day school, it’s a built in system that provides childcare and supervision for children of adults that need to work. For couples where both parents must work to make ends meet, sending their kids to school is critical.

Coronavirus has caused schools to universally close. As natural congregation areas, the potential for the virus to spread through the young population and then to their families is astronomical. While this measure is necessary from a health perspective, it has become logistically frustrating for parents who now have to account for their kids. If the parents still need to work, who can watch the kids while they’re away? Parents of young children have to make difficult choices. Many have to leave their jobs to stay home with their children. Many parents must now face the prospect of their kids remaining in school for longer to make up for lost time, which has its own consequences like family planning and retirement saving plans.

Wedding and Event Cancellations Due To Coronavirus

The wedding industry is usually thriving, with millions of happy couples pouring thousands of dollars into planning and creating the perfect day. The coronavirus outbreak has turned these occasions sour, delaying or canceling weddings and similar events across the world. Not only is this incredibly difficult emotionally, but it’s hitting the wedding and event industry hard.

Layoffs are rampant. Many wedding planners and other wedding event vendors or service providers are freelance and live paycheck to paycheck. It’s not unreasonable that brides and grooms who can no longer go through with their big day want to get their money back. These developments are creating more economic hardship throughout the entire economic system.

Large events outside the wedding industry are being canceled as well. Many conventions – including meetings between medical and scientific professionals to discuss COVID-19 – have been canceled to prevent the virus from spreading through their populations. These cancelations are not only frustrating for the event planners and attendees, but they stop millions of dollars from contributing to local cities’ economies, and the employees who work the events.

Travel and Hospitality Industry Shaken Up From COVID-19

The travel and hospitality industries are a pair of sectors that are being hit particularly hard by the coronavirus outbreak and its economic consequences. The travel and hospitality industries both require large crowds and interactions with many others: two things the CDC and other health organizations have warned individuals to specifically avoid. Essential employees of these companies who are still required to work are now at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19. Additionally, many people are now unable to travel or enjoy hospitality services because they‘ve been laid off or aren’t making as much money, so they can no longer afford these luxuries.

The travel and hospitality industries can demonstrate the interconnectedness of the entire economic system. For instance, a restaurant server who loses her job now cannot afford to travel to attend the wedding she had planned to (which at this point was probably canceled anyway). This prevents her from spending money on the travel industry. This loss now leads the airlines to lay off their workers or receive lower paychecks. Those workers are now unable to contribute to the economy as they once were. The dramatic effects of the coronavirus are echoing everywhere.

Many employees in the travel and hospitality industries will need to rely on employment attorneys and other legal experts to figure out a path forward. In these cases, employment attorneys are excellent resources to help figure out what money you can receive in benefits and what your rights are in relation to your employer. Now is not the time to put off standing up for your workers’ rights, particularly when your health is at risk.

Shortage of Everyday Necessities From Coronavirus

Everyone in America is experiencing at least a mild shortage of necessities needed for day-to-day survival. As the public swarms to supermarkets and piles their shopping carts full of toilet paper, pasta, and canned goods, stripping the shelves bare, leaving many without the items they need.

Even more alarming, healthcare workers are experiencing a major shortage of protective gear, like masks and gloves. This means that many healthcare workers like doctors and nurses must work in unsafe conditions, risking the virus from spreading even further. If healthcare workers are disproportionately affected by coronavirus, the medical system’s ability to treat other infected individuals will plummet.

Like with other workers, healthcare employees should not hesitate to seek legal representation and advice if they feel unsafe.

Spiraling Economy Due To COVID-19

The nation’s entire economy is beginning to spiral out of control. Even at this early stage, it’s likely that the world economy will enter a recession. It’s also possible that the market could dip even further toward a depression.

The stock market is reaching lows across the board, leading many to try to take advantage of the chaos and buy stocks while they’re cheap. But many more are withdrawing from the stock market entirely, exacerbating the issue and driving the numbers even lower.

Ultimately, the coronavirus and its effect on the world’s population has proven definitively how interconnected every industry is with one another. People are losing money, jobs, housing, and benefits. These losses are felt even by large corporations whose profit margins are shrinking by the day.

It will take initiative and action from both world governments and the public to stop the virus from spreading and bring the cascading negative effects of the virus to recover and improve. The government has approved a $2 trillion stimulus package to boost the economy and many mortgage lenders, like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, are allowing borrowers to delay their mortgage payments.

Many people will likely need to rethink their retirement strategies or seek alternative means of employment while the coronavirus continues to affect hundreds of thousands of citizens.

Anyone currently out of a job or in danger of losing their job should apply for unemployment and other benefits. Contact an employment attorney to learn and understand your options.