Coronavirus (Covid-19) - Asia Pacific

• Return to work:
  • “The Omicron Workplace Safety Dilemma” (19 January 2022) by Swaab (Michael Byrnes) 
  • "Leave Options for Self-Isolating Employees," (13 January 2022) by Swaab (Katrina Seck)
  • “Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination directions for Queensland” (23 December 2021) by Clayton Utz (Shae McCartney and Brittany Keller)
  • “Mandatory Workplace Vaccination: Full Bench of the FWC Decides Test Case” (6 December 2021) by Swaab (Michael Byrnes)
  • “Mandatory Vaccine Policy Requirements: FWCFB provides guidance for employers” (6 December 2021) by Piper Alderman (Joe Murphy)
  • “COVID-19 is a workplace injury, says New South Wales Personal Injury Commission” (16 September 2021) by Clayton Utz (Sarah Thiruneelakandan and Amy Toohey)
  • "What to consider when staff return to the office" (7 April 2021) by Madgwicks Lawyers (Sasha Roberts)

• Vaccinations:
  • "Future of Work - No Jab, No Job?" (9 August 2021) by Herbert Smith Freehills (Nicholas Ogilvie, Nerida Jessup and Alexis Agostino)
  • "No Jab, No Work – Can employers lawfully request that their employees get vaccinated in Australia?" (4 February 2021) by Clyde & Co. 
  • "Can employers require their employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine?" (22 January 2021) by Hall & Wilcox (Karl Rozenbergs and Anthony Hallal) 
• General updates:
  • "COVID-19 Hub" by Gilbert+Tobin
  • "Australia COVID-19 (Coronavirus) hub" by Dentons
• Contractual rights, force majeure and frustration:
  • “We’re still dealing with COVID-19 and now a shortage of AdBlue – time to consider force majeure clauses in your transportation contracts!” (17 January 2022) by Piper Alderman (Maria Capati)
• Supply Chain:
  • "COVID-19: Restrictions on movement – updates for mining on a rapidly changing situation" (7 April 2021) by Gilbert + Tobin
• Real estate / leases:
• “Temporary COVID-19 protections for NSW commercial and retail lessees extended” (17 January 2022) by Clayton Utz
• “Takeaways from COVID-19 commercial and retail tenancy disputes and decisions” (11 November 2021) by Clayton Utz (Danielle Mildren and Julia Liu)
•  
• Communication:
  • "COVID-19 changes to electronic legal processes now permanent in Victoria" (May 2021) by Corrs Chambers Westgarth (Richard Leder)

• Vaccines
  • "COVID-19: Employer Guidance on Vaccines" (January 19, 2022), by Duncan A. W. Abate, Miriam Bruce, Aline Fidelis, Christopher Fisher, Régine Goury, Julien Haure, Dr. Hagen Köckeritz, LLM oec. int., Jennifer C. W. Tam, Hong Tran, Dr. Guido Zeppenfeld, LLM (University of Essex), Mayer Brown
• Return to work:
  • "Can an Employer Require its Employees to Test for COVID-19 in Hong Kong?" (26 March 2021) by Gall
  • "Hong Kong’s COVID-19 Vaccination Programme: Employer Considerations" (9 March 2021) by Gall
  • "Injury during work for COVID-19 vaccination – will the employer be liable to pay?" (8 March 2021) by Deacons
  • "Regular COVID-19 Testing for Employees in the Catering Businesses and Specified Premises in Hong Kong" (23 February 2021) by Mayer Brown
  • "Compulsory COVID-19 Testing and Sudden Lockdowns – Are Hong Kong Employers Ready?" (8 February 2021) by Mayer Brown
  • "Can an Employer Require its Employees to Test for COVID-19 in Hong Kong?" (21 January 2021) by Lewis Silkin (Catherine Leung and Tanya Mirchandani)
  • "COVID-19 Vaccines – What Should Hong Kong Employers be Thinking About?" (4 January 2021) by Mayer Brown
• Government measures: “Hong Kong Government Updates Discharge Criteria for Confirmed COVID-19 Patients: What Does This Mean for Employers?” (2 November 2021) by Gall (Matthew Durham and Kritika Sethia)

• Vaccination:

• "Singapore issues an advisory on whether employers can mandate COVID-19 vaccination for their employees in Singapore" (7 July 2021) by Clyde & Co. (Thomas Choo)
• "Singapore: Q&A - Employer COVID-19 Vaccination Policies" (15 January 2021) by World Law Group (WongPartnership) (Jenny Tsin)
   
• Return to work:

• "Covid-19: Support Package to help Workers and Businesses during Phase Two (Heightened Alert)" (July 2021) by Allen & Gledhill
• General updates:
  • "Covid-19: Extension of temporary relief measures for property developers...." (July 2021) by Allen & Gledhill
  • "Covid-19: MAS and financial industry further extend support measures....." (July 2021) by Allen & Gledhill
  • "Singapore COVID-19 (Coronavirus) hub", by Dentons
• Corporate governance:
  • "Covid-19: MAS, SIC and SGX RegCo further extend option for electronic dissemination...."(July 2021) by Allen & Gledhill

• Key employment issues:
  • “Asia Pacific: Mandatory vaccinations in the workplace” (17 December 2021) by Baker McKenzie
• Lockdowns:
  • ​​​​​​​"COVID-19: APAC Lockdown Restrictions (January Update)" (February 1, 2022), by Trent Sutton, Isha Malhotra, and Nancy Zhang, Littler

• Vaccination: "India: Q&A - Employer COVID-19 Vaccination Policies (Updated)" (25 March 2021) by World Law Group (AZB & Partners and Vaish Associates Advocates) (Nohid Nooreyezdan, Bhuvana Veeraragavan and Vinay Vaish)
   
• Return to work:
  • "COVID-19 Update: Unlock IV Guidelines" (1 September 2020) by AZB & Partners
  • "COVID-19 Update: Unlock III Guidelines" (30 July 2020) by AZB & Partners
  • "Guidelines for Phased Re-Opening (Unlock II)" (1 July 2020) by  AZB & Partners
  • "COVID-19 Update: Getting back to Work? Preventative Steps to Keep in Mind!" (25 May 2020) by AZB & Partners
• Multi-topic and updates: COVID-19 Resource Center by Khaitan & Co
   
• State aid: "RBIs Regulatory Package Timely response to the economic fallout" (30 March 2020) by Khaitan & Co
   
• Employment: "COVID-19: Employer's Guide on Key Employment Considerations" (28 March 2020) by Khaitan & Co (Anshul Prakash)
   
• Lockdown: "Complete nation-wide lockdown and state advisories for employers" (25 March 2020) by Khaitan & Co (Anshul Prakash)
   
• Competition: "COVID 19 and Competition: India Perspective" (25 March 2020) by Khaitan & Co (Anisha Chand)
   
• Leadership, solidarity and communication: "Leadership and Solidarity: Leading the Covid-19 Battle in India" (10 April 2020) by Pranav Kumar, Allison+Partners

• Vaccination: "China: Q&A - Employer COVID-19 Vaccination Policies" (6 May 2021) by World Law Group (Zhong Lun Law Firm) (Ken Woo)
    
• Return to work: "China Frontline June 2020 - Ahead of the Curve: what employers need to know when re-opening offices?" (June 2020) by Bird & Bird (Ying Wang and Tiantian Ke)
   
• Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) issues: "Coronavirus Outbreak: EHS Compliance and Challenges in China" (27 February 2020) by Beveridge & Diamond, P.C. (Weiwei Luo, Of Counsel)
   
• Contract performance and force majeure:
  • "Contract Performance in the Time of Coronavirus: Perspectives from Mainland China and Hong Kong" (7 February 2020) by Morrison & Foerster LLP (Timothy W. Blakely, Paul D. McKenzie, Gary Zeng and Jessica Chan)
  • "China Lawyer: How to Deal with the Impacts of Coronavirus on Your Contracts" (10 March 2020) by Landing Law Offices (Larry Zhou)
  • "Does the Corona Virus Outbreak Constitute Force Majeure?" (4 February 2020) by CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP (Ulrike Glueck, Managing Partner (Shangai), Michael Munzinger LL.M., Counsel (Shanghai), Angela Chen, Junior Associate (Shanghai))
  • "Coronavirus Outbreak: Force Majeure from a PRC Law Perspective" (18 February 2020) by Baker McKenzie
  • "Coronavirus: Legal implications and practical considerations" (6 February 2020) by Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (Georgia Dawson, William Robinson, John Choong, Nick Stern, Yong Wei Chan, Xin Liu)
• Workplace and employees:
  • "The Coronavirus: Specific issues for the Chinese Workforce" (31 January 2020) by Littler Mendelson PC (Trent M. Sutton and Nancy Zhang)
  • "Getting Ahead of Coronavirus Outbreak Update: Considerations for Foreign National Employees in China" (7 February 2020) by Baker McKenzie (Melissa K. Allchin) 
  • "What Should Employers in China Be Doing in the Face of the Coronavirus Outbreak?" (5 February 2020) by Baker McKenzie
  • "Impact of the Coronavirus outbreak on Employment Relationship" (17 February 2020) by Hogan Lovells (Sherry Gong, Partner)
• Mergers and acquisitions and joint venture transactions: "Impact of the Coronavirus outbreak on M&A and JV Transactions" (17 February 2020) by Hogan Lovells (Roy Zou, Office Managing Partner, Beijing, Jun Wei, Chair of the Greater China Practice, Shanghai/Beijing, Liang Xu, Partner, Beijing, Michael Zou, Counsel, Beijing, Aldo Boni de Nobili, Senior Associate, Beijing, Jessica Li, Associate, Beijing, Nigel Sharman, Knowledge Lawyer, Hong Kong)
   
• Impact on the construction sector: "The impact of the Novel Coronavirus on the Construction Sector" (19 February 2020) by Hogan Lovells (Jun Wei, Chair of the Greater China Practice, Shanghai/Beijing, Roy Zou, Office Managing Partner, Beijing, Liang Xu, Partner, Beijing, Timothy Hill, Partner, Hong Kong, Michael Zou, Counsel, Beijing, Stephanie Sun, Associate, Shanghai, Christina Zhu, Associate Beijing, Nigel Sharman, Knowledge Lawyer, Hong Kong)
   
• Personal data and privacy: "Personal data protection in the time of coronavirus (Covid-19)" (February 2020) by Norton Rose Fulbright (Barbara Li, Beijing, Bohua Yao, Beijing)
   
• Various developments in China:
  • "Coronavirus (COVID-19): What You Need to Know", by John M. Scannapieco, Martha L. Boyd, Ziyan "Frank" Xue, Baker Donelson
  • "Balancing disease control and economic performance amid the coronavirus outbreak" (24 February 2020) by DLA Piper (Johnny Choi, Yiduo Qi)

• Return to work: "Indonesia Issues Workplace Guidelines in Preparation for Reopening" (9 June 2020) by Tilleke & Gibbins International Ltd. (Siti Syarah Sartika and Wongrat Ratanaprayul)

"Indonesia: Use of Electronic Signatures During COVID-19" (April 3, 2020), by Baker McKenzie (Daniele RPC Pardede)

• Vaccination: "Japan: Q&A - Employer COVID-19 Vaccination Policies" (17 May 2021) by World Law Group (City-Yuwa Partners) (Yasuyuki Kuribayashi and Yuki Takahashi)
   

• Return to work: "Labor and Employment Law Bulletin No.46 - The Criteria for Ordering Employees to Stay at Home and Return to Work for COVID-19" (3 June 2020) by Anderson Mori & Tomotsune (Nobuhito Sawasaki and Kosuke Nakano)

• Vaccination: "Malaysia: Q&A - Employer COVID-19 Vaccination Policies (Updated)" (7 April 2021) by World Law Group (Shearn Delamore & Co.) (Suganthi Singam)
   
• Return to work: "Beyond Covid-19: The New Normal" (21 April 2020) by Zul Rafique & Partners (David Lee and Farah Shuhadah Razali)
   
• Impact on contracts: "Impact on Contracts in the Wake of the Coronavirus Outbreak" (13 February 2020), by Baker McKenzie
   
• Employment / workforce reduction: "Retrenchment in the COVID-19 Climate" by Lim Ke Xin, CCA Law Firm (Chooi & Company + Cheang & Ariff)
   
• Digital innovation:
  • "Lessons Learnt From the COVID-19 Lockdown: Digital Innovation" LHAG (Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill) (Raphael Tay Choon Tien Partner, Charmayne Fung Wei En)
  • "The Use of Technology by Companies in General Meetings" (August 2020) by CCA Law Firm (Chooi & Company + Cheang & Ariff) (Andrew Fernandez, Donna Lim, Goh Ee Von and Carine Cheong)

• Return to work: 
  • "Here we go again – what employers need to know about lockdown" (25 August 2021) by Russell McVeagh (Emma Peterson and Kylie Dunn)
  • "More sick leave could deliver a healthier workforce" (16 February 2021), by Buddle Findlay (Hamish Kynaston, Peter Chemis, Sherridan Cook, Susan Rowe, Nicola Cuervo, Alastair Sherriff, Mere King, Holly Hedley, Shaun Brookes, Lorraine Hercus, Emma von Veh)
  • "Positioning your workforce for post Covid success" (21 August 2020) by Buddle Findlay (Susan Rowe and Eleanor Mishra)
  • "Opinion: considerations for employers when employees want to continue to work from home after lockdown" (18 August 2020) by Lane Neave (Andrew Shaw and Fiona McMillan)
  • "Emerging from COVID-19" (27 July 2020) by Chapman Tripp
  • "Managing health and safety in the post Covid workplace" (16 July 2020) by Buddle Findlay (Hamish Kynaston, Peter Chemis, Sherridan Cook, Susan Rowe, Nicola Ridder, Alastair Sherriff, Mere King, Amy de Joux, Holly Hedley, Shaun Brookes, Lorraine Hercus, Emma von Veh, Hannah Meikle)
  • "Positioning your workforce for post Covid success" (16 July 2020) Buddle Findlay, (Hamish Kynaston, Peter Chemis, Sherridan Cook, Susan Rowe, Nicola Ridder, Alastair Sherriff, Mere King, Amy de Joux, Holly Hedley, Shaun Brookes, Lorraine Hercus, Emma von Veh)
  • "Coronavirus: Staff can't demand to work from home in post-Covid world" (27 May 2020) by LexisNexis (Susan Hornsby-Geluk, partner at Dundas Street Employment Lawyers)
  • "Life after lockdown – Ten contract trends to watch for" (18 May 2020) by Buddle Findlay (David Thomson and Andy Martin)
  • "Back to the office under Level 3?" (15 April 2020) by Bell Gully
• Directors' Duties: "Should directors’ duties be suspended during the COVID-19 lockdown?" (1 April 2020) by Bell Gully
• General updates: "New Zealand COVID-19 (Coronavirus) hub" by Dentons
   
• Contracts: "COVID-19 and contractual obligations" (3 April 2020) by Chapman Tripp
   
• Workplace issues: "Coronavirus and the workplace" (5 February 2020) by Buddle Findlay (Hamish Kynaston, Peter Chemis, Sherridan Cook, Susan Rowe, Alastair Sherriff, Andrea Pazin, Mere King, Nicola Ridder, Amy de Joux, Holly Hedley and Shaun Brookes)
   
• Corporate governance:
• "Updates to the Covid-19 Temporary Insolvency Measures Under the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020" (8 December 2020) by Collyer Bristow
• "Should directors’ duties be suspended during the COVID-19 lockdown?" (1 April 2020) by Bell Gully (Tim Fitzgerald, Tim Smith, David Friar, Ben Steed)
   
• Crisis management: "COVID-19 Tips for effective crisis management and incident response" by Bell Gully (Blair Keown, David Friar)
   
• Finance:
• "COVID-19 response: Regulatory and other financial relief/extensions" (19 August 2020) by Buddle Findlay
• "Capital raising in the time of COVID-19" (24 April 2020), by Buddle Findlay (Grant Dunn, Amy Cunniffe)
   
• Construction: "COVID-19 Options for construction projects during Alert Level 4" (1 April 2020) by Bell Gully (Ian Becke, Jesse Wilson, Brad Ward and David Chisnall)

Health law and employment:

• "PNG public health law and employer obligations concerning the coronavirus" (February 4, 2020), by Erik Andersen, Partner (Port Moresby), Stephen Massa, Partner and Head of PNG Office (Sydney), Dentons
• "Update on legally consequential PNG Ministerial Declarations relating to coronavirus outbreak" (February 20, 2020), by Erik Andersen, Partner (Port Moresby), Stephen Massa, Partner and Head of PNG Office (Sydney), Dentons

• Force majeure: "Taiwan: Coronavirus Crisis Management Through Force Majeure" (February 24, 2020), by Baker McKenzie

• Vaccination: "Tax Liabilities on Vaccinations Paid by the Company for Employees" (August 2021) by Nishimura ＆ Asahi (Hatairat Sukprasert and Budhima Kerdsiri)
   
• Compliance: "Compliance in the time of Covid – Thailand" (4 June 2020) by Pisut & Partners (Douglas D. Mancill)
   
• Corporate governance and annual general meetings:
  • "AGM 2020 and Dealing with COVID-19" (March 9, 2020), by Baker McKenzie (Theppachol Kosol)
  • "Thailand: Financial Statements and Lists of Shareholders Must Be Submitted via the DBD's E-Filing System Only" (April 2, 2020), by Baker McKenzie

• General:
  • "Ho Chi Minh City Eases Social Distancing in “New Normal” Starting From September 30, 2021" (4 October 2021) by  Le & Tran Trial Lawyers
  • "Ho Chi Minh City Extends Lockdown till September End and Pilots COVID Green Cards" (17 September 2021) by Le & Tran Trial Lawyers
  • "Vietnam Spotlight - Covid 19" (24 April 2020) by Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP (Tony Foster & Tien Bui)
• Force majeure: "Coronavirus: Precautionary measures through force majeure" (10 February 2020) by Baker McKenzie (Frederick (Fred) R. Burke, Minh Tri Quach and Thu Quynh Nguyen)
   
• Workplace planning:
  • "The COVID-19 pandemic – what employers in Vietnam need to know" (1 April 2020) by Allens Linklaters (Robert Fish)
  • "Coronavirus Outbreak Readiness and Response in Vietnam" (31 January 2020) by Baker McKenzie