The Families First Coronavirus Response Act was signed into law by the President of the United States on March 18, 2020. The act will become official on April 2, 2020 and will apply to government workers and private sector employers with less than 500 employees. Due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus, the President and government officials realized the hardships that Americans are either currently facing or will be facing in the coming weeks. The bill will provide employees with paid sick leave, free Coronavirus testing, food assistance, unemployment benefits and will require employers to provide additional protection for health care workers. This bill will also provide support to the Department of Agriculture to help with nutrition and food assistance programs.
COVID-19 has negatively affected many companies and employees across the nation. For those who work hourly wage positions or are employed by the food service industry, this virus has caused a financial panic to ensue. With the help of this bill, employees may be entitled to paid sick leave if they miss work due to self-quarantine from a COVID-19 diagnosis or exposure, to assist an at-risk or diagnosed family member, or to care for a child who is out of school due to the virus. Employers must pay the employee’s regular rate of pay for 14 days during their sick leave if infected or exposed to virus. For those who need to care for others, employees are entitled to two-thirds of their regular rate of pay.
The safety and well-being of employees is of utmost concern at this time. If you feel you have been treated unfairly by your employer during the COVID-19 outbreak, contact the dedicated employment lawyers at The Gold Law Firm P.C. for advice on the current COVID-19 paid sick leave laws. Call us today at 215-569-1999 or contact us online. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, we serve clients throughout South Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania including Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, northeast Philadelphia, Bucks County, Chester County, Delaware County, and Montgomery County.
