Sick employees should stay home to fight coronavirus. But many don’t have sick leave
CNNThe government is urging people who are sick to stay at home to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. There is no federal law requiring companies to provide paid sick leave and almost a quarter of all US workers don’t get it, according to 2019 government data. “We know that when people go in sick they infect other people and when we talk about lower-wage workers in the service sector who are handling food without paid sick leave and other benefits like health insurance, that is really dangerous and a public health concern,” said C. Nicole Mason, president and CEO of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. He encourages employers to offer paid sick leave during a public health emergency like coronavirus, even if they don’t normally offer it. “It’s times like this that we really see the need for stronger public policies like paid sick leave and paid family medical leave,” said Mason.