
In March of 2020, international and national events triggered an immediate and emergent need for employers to transition their entire work force to working remotely. The World Health Organization officially declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a pandemic on March 11 and President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on March 13. Federal, state and local regulations were in a state of flux and by May, 29 states implemented shut down orders halting in- person business operations. In Pennsylvania, Governor Tom Wolf dodged a constitutional challenge to his shut down Order of “non-essential” businesses by modifying it to permit law offices to stay open on a restricted basis. Per the Pennsylvania Office of General Counsel’s guidance, lawyers and their staff have been able to access their offices to the degree necessary to participate in essential court functions. The guidance reiterated that all other businesses must continue to operate remotely. Businesses in regions where shut down orders were not issued took measures to protect the health and safety of their employees, customers and operations. As widely recognized, “[o]ne of the key measures to reduce the spread of Coronavirus COVID-19 is social distancing, which for many organisations means encouraging – or instructing – staff to work from home.” Steve Ranger, “Working from home: Cybersecurity tips for remote workers” (March 16, 2020).
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