Covid - 19

Effective November 1, 2022, The Mussalli Law Firm moved our offices to 24 Waterway Avenue, Suite 830, The Woodlands.

Governor Abbott’s May 6th Executive Order orders Texans to continue minimizing social gatherings and in-person contacts except with those in the same household through May 19, 2020, and those over 65 are encouraged to say home. Notwithstanding, some businesses are permitted to reopen on May 6th, and additional services are allowed to re-open on May 18th. Still other businesses are not permitted to re-open by the order.

In response to the global pandemic, the Federal government recently enacted the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”), which requires most employers to provide employees with paid sick leave or extended family and medical leave if they have to be off work for specified reasons related to the novel coronavirus. Please note that this area of law is ever-changing and it is likely that over the course of the next several months, we will see clarifications or changes as to how the FFCRA is implemented.

As we are learning to adjust to the realities of living through a pandemic, employers are being confronted with uncertainties regarding how to keep their employees safe and to what extent they need to have procedures in place considering the ever-changing landscape of information about this disease. Although state and local authorities all over the country have issued orders requiring employees to remain in their homes, many businesses and employees are exempt from these respective orders because the business provides essential services or products. Therefore, many of us are still working in the proximity of others, and employers should take reasonable precautions to minimize the risk of exposure among and between employees and the general public.

This memorandum is being provided for informational purposes to the commercial real estate community in response to the recent developments concerning COVID-19. As we are coming to experience, these circumstances are constantly changing, but the information provided below is based on the information currently known at the time of this publication.