Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

New York Real Estate Law ReporterKickerFeaturesSectionsNewsLJN Newsletters

Responding to SARS

By Jeffrey M. Tanenbaum and Marjorie Fochtman
August 27, 2003

But for the war in Iraq, the outbreak of SARS would undoubtedly have been the lead news story for the first half of 2003. Thousands of people have been infected to date, and there have been a number of fatalities from this new illness. It is apparently highly contagious (under at least some circumstances) and potentially deadly. As of press time, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) had issued a travel health alert for visitors to and from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Singapore, and President Bush had signed an executive order adding SARS to a list of seven other communicable diseases for which a person can be quarantined by public health authorities. The great seriousness of the other diseases on the list (plague, diphtheria, cholera, infectious tuberculosis, smallpox, yellow fever, and hemorrhagic fever [eg, Ebola virus]) gives a sense of the level of concern with which SARS is viewed by at least some in the medical community and government. SARS has reached the United States, although as of the date of publication, it is uncertain how fast, serious, and widespread the SARS outbreak will be in this country.

SARS poses particular concerns for employers for several reasons beyond the obvious need to protect employees who may be at risk and the need to address employee concerns: it is possible that SARS, or at least some strains of it, may be both easily transmittable in the workplace and very serious; medical experts are still searching for a test to detect its presence, as well as a vaccine; the incubation period after exposure but before symptoms appear is believed to be at least 10 days; and early symptoms can mimic less severe respiratory problems.

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About It Image

Why is it that those who are best skilled at advocating for others are ill-equipped at advocating for their own skills and what to do about it?

Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough Image

There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.

The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later Image

The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.

A Lawyer's System for Active Reading Image

Active reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.

Blockchain Domains: New Developments for Brand Owners Image

Blockchain domain names offer decentralized alternatives to traditional DNS-based domain names, promising enhanced security, privacy and censorship resistance. However, these benefits come with significant challenges, particularly for brand owners seeking to protect their trademarks in these new digital spaces.