by Jeff Sovern
Politico has a summary of the McConnell bill here. It immunizes schools, colleges, charities, and businesses that follow public health guidelines from liability for negligently infecting consumers with the virus. But many public health guidelines are written in terms of what is feasible or possible, meaning that the entities subject to the bill could argue that protections are not possible or feasible (e.g., "Modify the alignment of workstations, including along processing lines, if feasible, so that workers are at least six feet apart in all directions . . . when possible . . . ."). Meanwhile, businesses justify the bill to prevent a flood of lawsuits that hasn't materialized. And it's not as if no one has been injured by the virus: more than 3.7 million Americans have caught the virus and more than 140,000 have died. Oh, and businesses have a long history of predicting floods of lawsuits that haven't materialized. If businesses don't want to be liable for carelessness, they should simply be careful. For more specifically on immunity for universities, go here.
