What makes the Novel Coronavirus an even more elusive challenge than most viruses is that those who it infects either do not show any symptoms or begin to show symptoms as late as two weeks later. Within that period, the asymptomatic person would have met several people, probably infecting a few, and inadvertently started a chain of infected people without any intention to do so. This elusiveness is one reason why many businesses have decided to make their patrons, customers, and even workers, sign coronavirus waivers.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic had its grasp on the entire world, waivers were not an unusual part of the customer-business relationship. Gyms were a business that always required its patrons to sign health and injury waivers. Participation in adventure sports, or any sport for that matter, required the customer to sign a waiver too. It was mostly businesses that dealt with health and equipment that deemed themselves a section of the economy that required waivers of any kind. The pandemic, however, has brought about changes to how businesses function. And waivers have become a massive part of how the new system works.

What Are Coronavirus Waivers?

The novel coronavirus is a virus that scientists are still studying and researching. The available data is limited, and not enough for people to feel reassured about how it infects people. According to information released by the World health organization (WHO), Covid-19 spreads through contact with infected surfaces, or close contact with an infected person.

Additional information states that it is also capable of being airborne. Therefore health and government officials recommend that people wash their hands frequently for at least 20 seconds, wear masks when stepping out, and keep some physical distance between themselves and others.

Lockdowns were imposed in most countries to prevent people from meeting each other and possibly spread the virus faster than it was already spreading. Temporarily closed businesses lead to the economy keeling over, and for some businesses to even permanently close due to crippling financial instability.

Recently, different states began to lift the lockdowns slowly. Hair salons, restaurants, gyms, and even bars started to open to the public. And due to the nature of the virus, these places welcomed back their customers with coronavirus waivers.

Waivers are legal contracts between clients and businesses that relieve the business of any liability in case the client happens to fall victim to Covid-19, from their interaction with it. They indemnify businesses from claims made by customers if they fall prey to Covid-19 due to or after an interaction with the business.

It is not entirely feasible for this kind of waiver to be as streamlined as, say, one that gyms employ. A waiver signed by a gym-user would clearly state that the gym cannot be held liable in case the user falls off a piece of equipment and injures himself or herself during the workout session. However, a coronavirus waiver has a more vague character than that, mainly because it directly involves an infectious disease caused by a microbe that is invisible to the human eye.

Is a Liability Waiver 100% Foolproof Against Lawsuits?

Various factors that affect how valid Coronavirus waivers are.


They Need to be Conspicuous - The more clarity the waiver has, the more chances it has of a judge ruling in its favor. The business needs to give a detailed outline of which rights are going to be waived on signing the contract. The Iowa University Housing and Diningcan serve as an example of how institutes and service providers draft the waivers. 

They Work Differently in the Different States- The laws prevalent in a particular state will ultimately govern how a waiver will hold up in court. What holds in one court may not always hold in another. Each state will have its own rules and manners of making decisions on which party is to be ruled for or not.

How Much Free Will was Involved in the Signing Process - Courts will also look at whether the customer, client, employee, vendor had a free hand in signing the waiver. They will weigh in on the kind of service availed by the client- if the client could have avoided it or if it was of an urgent requirement.

They Need to be Backed by Impenetrable Precaution-Taking - The waiver will not stand in court if it finds that the business involved in a liability waiver lawsuit did not follow the government-prescribed precautions or were grossly negligent in their duties of maintaining health standards. Any act of intentional misconduct will invalidate the waiver immediately.

They Must be Objective and Impartial - The waivers must not allow any personal or exclusive relationships to govern their conditions. For example, an employer cannot show favor to the employees, or a landlord cannot lean the statements in the contract in the tenant’s favor. Such partiality will invalidate the waiver.

Coronavirus Waivers Work Differently for Employees - The Equal Employment Opportunity Laws and National Labor Relations Act do not give room for employees to waive their legal rights at the workplace.  Courts generally invalidate laws that are contrary to workers’ compensation schemes.

Employers need to adapt the workspace to the continually evolving scenario based on new information about the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides businesses with new and evolving guidelines to help them adapt to the current situation with more ease and clarity. 

How are People Responding to Coronavirus Waivers?

As the Trump Rally held in Oklahoma in June 2020 proves, people are not averse to signing coronavirus waivers. They understand that they are accountable for their actions when stepping out of their houses, especially when they decide to attend a public gathering.

Salons, educational institutions, gyms, even Disneyworld (which closed again due to the rise in the number of infected cases) had a steady flow of customers willing to sign the health waivers. Some people view it as an extra step taken by the business to prevent the spread of the disease. Anyone who feels differently is free to refuse to sign the waiver. Businesses cannot and must not force anyone to sign.

Conclusion

As the world adapts itself to the many changes that the coronavirus pandemic has brought in its wake, health and disease waivers are getting integrated into the functioning of many businesses. It is not only masks, gloves, and PPEs that have become an essential part of going out. The awareness of, and willingness to sign waivers have also become part of the package you need to be ready with when you step out of your house.