Universal sick leave policy is crucial to reducing the spread of illnesses such as COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Public health officials are now urging Americans to stay home if they’re not feeling well and to practice social distancing, at a minimum. But many of these workers, who are working paycheck to paycheck, often in jobs that involve frequent interaction with customers, can’t follow that advice.
It’s very unusual for a fast-food restaurant to offer paid sick [leave]. You can connect the dots there and think about how dangerous that is.Across the board, coming to work sick is very common. Aboutsay they have gone to work sick in the past year, according to a recent HuffPost/YouGov survey. She and Schneider estimate that more than a half-million McDonald’s workers don’t have access to sick pay; 165,000 workers at Burger King and 95,000 at Dunkin’ Donuts.
Target and Walmart have both announced emergency coronavirus sick leave policies recently, offering expanded leave to those who are diagnosed with COVID-19.if they’re ill, to take care of a family member or for any other reason — including for last-minute emergencies.