Calls to protect corporations and schools from legal blame if workers fall ill from COVID-19 contracted on the job have incited a growing backlash as Congress and the White House negotiate over liability protections in economic relief legislation, the New York Times reported. Businesses, hospitals, schools and the trade groups that represent them have pushed for any relief package to include protections from COVID-related lawsuits. But so far, there has been little sign of a surge in litigation as the economy reopens, and prominent voices have opposed such a measure, arguing that liability shields are unfair to workers and that businesses must take responsibility to keep them safe. The issue has spilled into the world of sports. College Athlete Unity, an organization that represents thousands of athletes at universities, wrote a letter yesterday to the N.C.A.A. and the Big Ten Conference urging them to revise plans for resuming fall sports. Among the proposals was to ban the use of COVID-19 waivers. The players’ associations for the N.F.L., N.B.A., N.H.L., Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer have made a similar plea. In a letter to top Republican and Democratic lawmakers last Friday, they said that inserting liability protections in the legislation would be wrong. Some businesses — including salons, amusement parks, gyms and even President Trump’s campaign rallies — have required those who come in their doors to promise not to sue if they contract the virus. But a Republican proposal would offer a much bigger shield: It would provide five years of legal protection for businesses, hospitals, schools and nonprofits that make “reasonable efforts” to comply with government standards to protect their workers and customers from coronavirus-related lawsuits.
