The U.S. Equal Employment Commission (“EEOC”) has recently updated its Technical Assistance Questions and Answers, “What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws,” (“Q&A)  and taken the position that employers may only screen employees for COVID-19 if it is a business necessity that is justified by “current pandemic circumstances and individual workplace circumstances” because a COVID-19 viral test is a medical examination within the meaning of the ADA.

Previously, the EEOC’s position as set forth in the Q&A was that the standard under the ADA for conducting medical examinations was always met for employers who conducted viral screenings in the workplace for COVID-19. Hunton previously posted about the Q&A and the EEOC’s updates here and here.

In order to prove business necessity, employers must point to factors such as (1) the vaccination status of its workforce; (2) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention information transmission levels in the community at large; (3) types of contact between employees and others in the workplace or other locations where work is performed; (4) accuracy and speed of using different types of tests; (5) possible severity of COVID-19 variants; and (6) the potential impact on operations if an employee enters the workplace with COVID-19.

Further, although this is not new to the Q&A, if an employer does not meet the business necessity test to permit COVID-19 testing, the employer should not use antibody tests as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that antibody tests are unable to determine whether a  person is currently infected or immune.

Susan’s practice focuses on labor, employment and OSHA compliance, litigation and defense.

Susan’s practice includes comprehensive OSHA/MSHA representation of employers across all industry sectors. Her OSHA/MSHA practice includes compliance assistance, training, citation defense, participation in rulemaking, appellate administrative litigation, whistleblower cases, creation/oversight of PSM/RMP and general OSHA audit programs, and fatality/serious injury accident investigation.

Susan has 30 years of experience...

Katherine has extensive experience in wage and hour class actions and high-stakes trade secrets litigation. She also has a demonstrated track record of favorable outcomes in federal and state courts for clients facing claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation and unfair competition. Moreover, she has guided clients through difficult interactions with administrative agencies and claimants to resolve disputes before lawsuits are ever filed.

Katherine also has significant experience defending business owners in public accommodation access litigation involving claims of...

You are responsible for reading, understanding and agreeing to the National Law Review's (NLR’s) and the National Law Forum LLC's  Terms of Use and Privacy Policy before using the National Law Review website. The National Law Review is a free to use, no-log in database of legal and business articles. The content and links on www.NatLawReview.com are intended for general information purposes only. Any legal analysis, legislative updates or other content and links should not be construed as legal or professional advice or a substitute for such advice. No attorney-client or confidential relationship is formed by the transmission of information between you and the National Law Review website or any of the law firms, attorneys or other professionals or organizations who include content on the National Law Review website. If you require legal or professional advice, kindly contact an attorney or other suitable professional advisor.  

Some states have laws and ethical rules regarding solicitation and advertisement practices by attorneys and/or other professionals. The National Law Review is not a law firm nor is www.NatLawReview.com  intended to be  a referral service for attorneys and/or other professionals. The NLR does not wish, nor does it intend, to solicit the business of anyone or to refer anyone to an attorney or other professional.  NLR does not answer legal questions nor will we refer you to an attorney or other professional if you request such information from us. 

Under certain state laws the following statements may be required on this website and we have included them in order to be in full compliance with these rules. The choice of a lawyer or other professional is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements. Attorney Advertising Notice: Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Statement in compliance with Texas Rules of Professional Conduct. Unless otherwise noted, attorneys are not certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, nor can NLR attest to the accuracy of any notation of Legal Specialization or other Professional Credentials.

The National Law Review - National Law Forum LLC 3 Grant Square #141 Hinsdale, IL 60521  Telephone  (708) 357-3317 or toll free (877) 357-3317.  If you would ike to contact us via email please click here.