On May 4^th, 2020 ,the Governor’s Office issued new guidance for businesses as they become authorized to restart in-person operations pursuant to the Administration’s phased red-yellow-green plan.  The guidance, which can be found here, includes a series of mandatory protocols designed to reduce the spread of COVID-19 between and among employees and customers.  These protocols are binding upon “[a]ll businesses in all industries and sectors of the economy (including non-profit entities), in the Commonwealth, that are permitted to conduct-in person operations…unless they are otherwise more stringently regulated under separate industry-specific guidance”.

Recently, the Governor’s Office announced that twenty-four Pennsylvania counties will transition to the “yellow” phase on May 8^th, thereby authorizing businesses in those counties to restart in-person operations on a limited basis.  The Administration’s new guidance affect businesses in these counties as well as businesses in any future county that becomes authorized to restart in-person operations pursuant to the Administration’s phased red-yellow-green plan.  Accordingly, all employers across the Commonwealth should familiarize themselves with the guidance, not just those that are slated to reopen in the imminent future.