WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he will sign an executive order later in the day that addresses employer liability issues that have arisen from the coronavirus outbreak.

Trump, taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office as he met with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, said the order would have to do with the meat supply and that his administration was working with poultry producer Tyson Foods Inc (TSN.N).

Administration officials and some Republicans on Capitol Hill have said businesses that are reopening need liability protection from lawsuits employees might file if they become sick.

They cast it is a necessary prerequisite for business to have the confidence they need to reopen.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, speaking to reporters on a teleconference on Tuesday that mainly centered on immigrants working in the healthcare sector, was asked about Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pushing for business liability protections as they reopen their operations.

“Is he saying if an owner tells a worker he needs to work next to a sick person without a mask and wouldn’t be liable? That makes no sense,” Schumer said.

Source: Read Full Article