Paid Sick & Family Leave due to COVID-19

Paid Sick & Family Leave due to COVID-19:

The US Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which is effective April 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020. It applies to you if you:

  • Are a public employee.
  • Work for a private business that has fewer than 500 employees.

Under certain circumstances, employers with fewer than 50 employees may be exempt.

Paid Sick Leave for Quarantining:

If you are a covered employee, your employer must provide you with 2 weeks (up to 80 hours) of paid sick leave if you are unable to work because you are

  • Quarantined because of a government order,
  • Quarantined because of your doctor’s advice, or
  • Experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and seeking a medical diagnosis.

Your pay must be at your regular rate of pay (which shall be the higher of your regular rate or the applicable minimum wage, up to $511 per day and $5,110 over a 2-week period).

Paid Sick Leave to be a COVID Caregiver:

If you are a covered employee, your employer must provide you with 2 weeks (up to 80 hours) of paid sick leave if you are unable to work because you are:

  • Caring for an individual subject to quarantine,
  • Caring for a child (under 18) whose school or child care provider is closed or unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19,
  • Experiencing a substantially similar condition as specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Secretaries of the Treasury and Labor.

Your pay must be at 2/3 of your rate of pay or 2/3 the applicable minimum wage, whichever is higher, up to $200 per day and $2,000 in the aggregate (over a 2-week period).

Expanded Family & Medical Leave to Care for Your Child:

If you have worked for that covered employee for at least 30 calendar days, your employer must provide you with up to an additional 10 weeks of paid expanded family and medical leave, if you are unable to work because you have to care for a child whose school or child care provider is closed or unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19. Your pay must be at 2/3 of your regular rate or 2/3 the applicable minimum wage, whichever is higher, up to $200 per day and $12,000 in the aggregate (over a 12-week period).