Law Gives Many Workers Paid Sick Leave

Many American workers who contract coronavirus will receive paid sick leave as they recover after President Trump signed a multibillion-dollar emergency act into action.

The bipartisan Families First Coronavirus Response Act not only provides paid sick leave to many, but it also includes other unemployment benefits and makes testing for the virus free, reports The Hill.

People employed by a company with fewer than 500 employees and or the government are eligible for up to two weeks of fully-paid sick leave if they need to quarantine, seek a diagnosis for COVID-19 or need preventative care, reports TIME. Those who work full-time receive 80 hours of sick leave, while part-time workers get sick leave based on how many hours they work over the course of two weeks.

The act also grants people working in those same settings two weeks of sick pay at two-thirds of their regular pay rate or more if they need to care for a family member who has been diagnosed with COVID-19,  or a child who has been displaced by a closed school or daycare.

It's important to note that companies who employ fewer than 50 people can be excused from paying emergency leave if doing so would put into question the company's ability to function.

 

The relief granted by the bill couldn't come fast enough. All across the country people have been impacted by the coronavirus. More than 15,000 people tested positive for the disease as of Friday afternoon, according to constantly-updated list from Johns Hopkins University & Medicine.