Employer Responsibilities and Employee Rights During a Pandemic (Sources)

If one hired laborers and told them to work early or to work late, he has no right to compel them to do so where the custom is not to work early or not to work late. In a place where the custom is to give them their food he should give it to them, and where the custom is to provide them with sweet food, he must give it to them. Everything should follow local custom. It once happened that Rabbi Yochanan ben Mattia said to his son: “Go and hire laborers for us.” He went and struck a deal, committing to providing them with food. When he came to his father, his father said to him, “My son, even if you make them a banquet like Solomon’s in his time you will not have fulfilled your obligation to them. For they are sons of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But, rather, before they begin to work, go and say to them, ‘[I have hired you] on condition that I am bound to give you no more than bread and beans alone.’” Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel says: “It was not necessary to speak thus, for everything should follow local custom."

The Gemara relates an incident involving Rabba bar bar Ḥanan: Certain porters broke his barrel of wine after he had hired them to transport the barrels. He took their cloaks as payment for the lost wine. They came and told Rav. Rav said to Rabba bar bar Ḥanan: Give them their cloaks. Rabba bar bar Ḥanan said to him: Is this the halakha? Rav said to him: Yes, as it is written: “That you may walk in the way of good men” (Proverbs 2:20). Rabba bar bar Ḥanan gave them their cloaks. The porters said to Rav: We are poor people and we toiled all day and we are hungry and we have nothing. Rav said to Rabba bar bar Ḥanan: Go and give them their wages. Rabba bar bar Ḥanan said to him: Is this the halakha? Rav said to him: Yes, as it is written: “And keep the paths of the righteous” (Proverbs 2:20).

One who hires a worker to water the field from a certain river, and the river stops flowing for half the day - if it is not the general way of the river to stop, or even if the river does generally stop and the worker knows the way of the river, the loss is the worker's and the employer does not give him anything, even if the employer also knows the way of the river. But if the worker does not know the way of the river, and the employer knows, the loss is the employer’s...

Rema
[...]And that which is stated [in the Mishna], ‘if there is a regional disaster (Makat Medina) we would subtract from the lease price [of a field]’ - this is the ruling for anything similar: that in any situation where the matter has been completely ruined as a result of a regional disaster (Makat Medina), we would subtract from the lease [because the renter has not earned money due to forces beyond his control]. If it is possible to repair the loss with work and planning, the owner would not reduce the lease price [because then the renter is gaining from the land]. In any situation where the outcome should be to reduce the lease price, it does not make a difference whether the tenant has paid the rent already or not. Similarly, the Maraham ruled in a case where the ruler decreed a schoolteacher cannot teach, that this is considered a regional disaster, and the employer must take on the entire loss. There are those who disagree and hold that going forward (ie, if payment had not been made before the disaster struck), we rule as if one party to the agreement changed their mind (i.e. in this case the employee is at a disadvantage)...

But take utmost care and watch yourselves scrupulously...

The Sages taught: There was a related incident, involving a particular pious man who was praying while traveling along his path when an officer [hegmon] came and greeted him. The pious man did not pause from his prayer and did not respond with a greeting. The officer waited for him until he finished his prayer.
After he finished his prayer, the officer said to him: You good for nothing. You endangered yourself; I could have killed you.
Isn’t it written in your Torah: “Take utmost care and guard yourself diligently” (Deuteronomy 4:9)?
And it is also written: “Take therefore good heed unto yourselves” (Deuteronomy 4:15)? Why did you ignore the danger to your life?
When I greeted you, why did you not respond with a greeting?
Were I to sever your head with a sword, who would hold me accountable for your spilled blood?

Likewise, one has a positive duty to remove and guard oneself of any life-threatening obstacle, as it is said "beware and guard your soul". If one did not removed said obstacles, one has cancelled a positive commandment and transgressed "do not bring bloodguilt" (Deut. 22:8).

Seeing that the maintenance of the body in a healthy and sound condition is a God-chosen way, for, lo, it is impossible that one should understand or know aught of the divine knowledge concerning the Creator when he is sick, it is necessary for man to distance himself from things which destroy the body, and accustom himself in things which are healthful and life-imparting. These are: never shall man partake food save when hungry, nor drink save when thirsty; he shall not defer elimination even one minute, but the moment he feels the need to evacuate urine or feces he must rise immediately.

The Gemara asks: And what does the other Sage, the second tanna, derive from this verse? The Gemara responds: That verse is necessary for that which is taught in a baraita: The expression “for he sets his soul upon it” explains why one must be so precise when paying a laborer his wages: For what reason did this laborer ascend on a tall ramp or suspend himself from a tree and risk death to himself? Was it not for his wages? How, then, can his employer delay his payment?

(1) These were the officers in the Temple:Yohanan the son of Pinchas oversaw the seals. Ahiyah oversaw libations. Mattityah the son of Shmuel oversaw lots. Petahiah oversaw the bird-offering. (Petahiah was Mordecai. Why was his name called Petahiah? Because he ‘opened’ matters and expounded them, and he understood seventy languages). The son of Ahijah oversaw the sickness of the bowels...

Sickness of the bowels: Since the priests would walk barefoot on the floor and eat a lot of meat and drink water, their bowels would get disordered and they would always need to see a doctor to tell them that this medicine is good for bowels.

When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, so that you do not bring bloodguilt on your house if anyone should fall from it.

Rabbi Natan says: From where is it derived that one may not raise a vicious dog in his house, and that one may not set up an unstable ladder in his house? As it is stated: “You shall not bring blood into your house” (Deuteronomy 22:8)

(5) The sages have prohibited many things because they are dangerous to life. If anyone disregards them and says : "What claim have others on me if I risk my own life?" or: "I do not mind this," he should be lashed for disobedience.