Nurses worry about lack of paid sick leave during COVID-19 outbreak - Business Insider

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Nurses say they won't get paid time off if they catch coronavirus — and it could force them to choose between paying bills or heading to work while sick

Nurses are on the frontlines of fighting the COVID-19 outbreak, but many say they don't have access to paid sick leave.Nurses say they fear getting sick because of the nationwide mask shortage, but can't afford to take sick leave.

Business Insider talked to 25 nurses who said their employers — including hospitals and outpatient clinics — don't have enough masks that protect healthcare workers against COVID-19. Many nurses revealed their hospital had little to no planning on how to properly screen a patient who presents symptoms of the virus.

Nurses say that because they sit and stand bedside and interact with patients more than other healthcare workers, they are first in line to catch COVID-19 from a patient. In China, where the novel coronavirus originated,"This place that takes care of the elderly, the ones being hit hardest, does not have adequate [personal protective equipment] for its employees to remain healthy and to prevent transmission between residents," the nurse in Tucson said.

An ICU nurse in New England told Business Insider her hospital's leadership gave nurses mixed messages on when to wear protective masks, which she said puts healthcare workers at risk of contracting the virus. That hospital had not given nurses training or protocol on how to handle the influx of new patients concerned they have COVID-19 as of March 16."We are frightened, stressed and afraid to go to work," the nurse told Business Insider.

 

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Sad but that’s our reality

This is not true many states are offering workers comp and hospitals are allowing use of LTI stop the fear mongering. They came out and said if we catch it at work it’s workers comp.

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