A historically heated conversation around paid sick leave might come to a boil today, Wednesday, April 1, when the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) goes into effect. Two things will change:

  1. Certain employees will be entitled to two weeks (80 hours) of paid sick leave over and above any time already taken off.
  2. Certain employees who have been on the job for at least 30 days are entitled to 12 weeks of job-protected leave if they cannot work or telework due to a quarantine or isolation order, either they or their family members are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, or they are caring for a child whose school or place of care has temporarily closed.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ National Compensation Survey, over 90 percent of local government workers have access to paid sick leave. In addition to this regular paid sick leave, some employers also offer ad hoc, temporary sick leave or, when feasible, allow or require people to work remotely.
(Read more: CitiesSpeak)