Chambers of commerce support COVID-19 protections for employers

Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry recently urged Pennsylvania’s federal and state lawmakers to support safe harbor protections for employers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The chamber is the state’s largest broad-based business association and is comprised of businesses from all industry sectors.

Gene Barr, chamber president and CEO, issued a statement after a coalition of 80 chambers of commerce throughout the Commonwealth sent a letter to lawmakers.

Businesses need smart government policies to remove obstacles to economic recovery, Barr said.

“Pennsylvania employers have faced unimaginable challenges during this pandemic, the mandatory business shutdown, and resulting economic fallout,” Barr said. “Many now face the threat of unwarranted, opportunistic lawsuits, including hospitals and many healthcare professionals bravely treating patients, companies who have been working to keep our critical supply chains intact, manufacturers producing personal protective equipment and others on the front lines. Businesses that have stayed open to serve communities, as well as those who were forced to shut down but have managed to survive, should feel confident that if they take the necessary steps to comply with public health and safety guidelines, they are protected from unscrupulous plaintiffs’ attorneys seeking to profit from this disaster.”

Lawmakers should address this critical issue, Barr said.