A cumbersome presence in accelerating actions and reforms
At the time of writing, the number of Covid-19 cases went beyond 16 million worldwide with a total of more than 60,000 deaths. New outbreaks emerged on top of existing ones and establishing a new highest record of 260,000 cases within 24 hours.
Therefore, Covid-19 is still highly present in all our economies and policy discussions. Its cumbersome presence is accelerating actions and reforms, however at times in opposing directions. For example the wide recognition of Covid-19 as an occupational disease for employees in essential services in Belgium on one hand; and the protection clauses for discharging businesses from liability on their employees’ infection at the workplace in certain states in United States of America on the other hand.
Meanwhile, some important pre-Covid reforms that deserve attention are also included in this Newsletter, such as the January 2019 Costa Rican legislation on strike action.