Think, for a moment, about all the people you directly or indirectly come into contact with each day. The barista at the coffee shop. The stylist at the salon. The waiter at the restaurant — or even the cook who is handling your food. Now imagine if one of more of them is afflicted with the coronavirus and harboring COVID-19, passing along germs to hundreds of people.
That can be a key contributor to pandemics such as the one the United States is now facing, and it can be exacerbated by the nation’s policies regarding sick leave. While many suggestions for stemming the virus involve common sense — wash hands frequently, swap out handshakes for elbow bumps — part of a long-term solution involves a legislative fix.
“Situations like this remind us we are all a community in a very real sense, and we all have a stake in one another’s well-being,” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said recently. Murray has introduced legislation to establish national paid sick leave and to extend it during a public health emergency.
Washington has taken the lead in recognizing the public health benefits of paid sick leave, guaranteeing that leave accrues at one hour for every 40 hours of work. But many states have not followed suit, and there is no federal guarantee of paid time off for illness.
That is particularly pertinent for low-wage workers or workers in the so-called gig economy — the kind of employees whose jobs often bring them into contact with large numbers of people. According to the Economic Policy Institute, only 27 percent of workers whose wages fall in the bottom 10 percent are able to earn paid sick leave from their jobs. That can lead to hard choices between showing up for work or missing a day’s wages and struggling to pay that month’s heating bill.
The result is that many workers go to work — even when they are not feeling well. As a team of researchers wrote in 2012 for the Centers for Disease Control: “Access to paid sick leave might reduce the pressure to work while sick out of fear of losing income. … Paid sick leave also enables workers to care for loved ones and can help prevent the spread of contagious diseases.”
With the coronavirus outbreak, Americans are being reminded of how best to prevent the spread of diseases. Even with health officials saying those who might be sick should stay home, many employees wrestle with the decision.
The United States long has lagged behind other developed countries in not having a national guarantee of paid sick leave. In 2009, the Center for Economic and Policy Research reported that most advanced economic nations give workers at least five days off to recover from flu-like symptoms. At least 10 states and several municipalities have enacted their own laws.
Requiring payments to sick workers can be a burden for employers, particularly small businesses. And any federal law should differentiate between routine employee illnesses and a public health emergency. The Trump administration reportedly is considering assistance for small businesses through the Small Business Administration.
Legislation previously proposed by Murray would require businesses with 15 or more employees to provide up to seven days of annual paid sick leave. The latest proposal would provide an additional 14 days of leave during a declared public health emergency.
Congress should act quickly to support workers and protect the public while not unduly burdening businesses. Such action could help limit the spread of the coronavirus — and the next virus that comes along.
