(KTVX) – As Omicron variants attack our community, it seems that we all have friends, family, or colleagues who are ill or have recently recovered from the coronavirus.
However, despite the recent surge, some companies are in line with the revised CDC policy, which states that people with COVID need to be quarantined for at least five days, as opposed to the previous ten days. The COVID sick leave time has been shortened. Wal-Mart recently announced that its policy is in line with the CDC guidance and will cut COVID’s paid sick leave in half.
Some workers are due to COVID after the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFRCA) (including mandatory two-week paid sick leave), which provides resources to people affected by COVID-19, expires at the end of 2021. Not given any additional vacation. Related concerns.
“This is a really big problem,” said Irene Aperbaum, co-director of the Progressive Think Tank at the Center for Economic Policy Research in the United States and an expert in labor economics and paid sick leave. “This is a problem for frontline workers, healthcare professionals, and office cleaners. There is no such vacation.”
Low-wage workers are especially vulnerable. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 33% of workers in the bottom 10% of wages take sick leave compared to 95% of the top 10%.
If key workers get sick with Omicron, it can not only affect their health, but can also have a spillover effect on the economy.
Dean Baker, a visiting professor of economics at the University of Utah, said: “In hospitals, we know that many medical professionals are sick. We already have a shortage of staff in many hospitals, and in addition, we have a COVID. In addition, if 5% or 10% of employees are missing, that’s a huge problem. “
Also, the new absence of paid sick leave assigned to COVID may encourage workers to get a job with mild symptoms or while waiting for test results. It states. The Los Angeles Times reports that the California Department of Public Health has revised its policy to allow asymptomatic health care workers who test positive for the virus to return to work immediately.
According to Appelbaum, if people do not pay for sick leave and have no symptoms or mild symptoms, they may not be tested and may continue to work in the office despite the risks.
“And what are their choices?” She asked rhetorically. “They say:” If I take the test and it shows that I’m positive, I can’t get a job and I have no paid sick leave. You don’t have much savings and you can’t cover your rent from your savings without work. “
According to Baker, having a more free paid sick leave policy benefits both employers and employees as the country continues to fight Omicron.
“In some highly contagious situations, it’s certainly Omicron, but it’s in the employer’s interest to misunderstand the following: I don’t want you to come to work,” he said. “Spend a special sick day when someone runs out of all their sick leave is an advantage for most employers because they don’t really want someone to get sick and infect the rest of the workforce. “
The data seems to back up these assertions. According to a survey conducted in October 2020, adopting the COVID-specific paid sick leave policy after passing FFRCA reduced approximately 400 new COVID cases per day.
“In states where these laws have been enforced and employers have actually provided paid sick leave, we see flattening of the COVID curve,” said Appelbaum.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
