So far this year, in 2022, California has passed several critical new laws concerning the recent COVID-19 pandemic. While some of these laws may not affect you, at least one very well may.
This particular law, which we will be discussing, has to do with paid sick leave after contracting COVID-19. It may help you recover wages if you contract the illness and cannot work because of it. Let’s unpack this law further and help you understand if it may be able to help you.
What Is California’s New COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave Law?
It should go without saying that no one wants to get COVID-19, at least someone who needs to work to survive. However, at this point, most people know at least one person who’s contracted the illness. You, yourself, may have gotten COVID-19. Fortunately, there are new treatments in place, and many people have gotten the COVID-19 vaccine to prevent serious illnesses. However, the main thing individuals need to still do after getting the infection is quarantine. They need to stay away from other people. How can you do this when you need to work?
California Lawmakers Aim to Help Workers Who Get COVID-19
The new law that California has put into place aims to help workers who’ve contracted COVID-19 and need to stay home to recover and quarantine. The law gives up to 80 hours of paid sick leave to such full-time individuals. It also compensates individuals who’ve had to stay home for other COVID-19-related reasons. California Governor Gavin Newsom passed the law on February 9th, 2022.
Other Protections Provided by the Law
In addition to taking care of employees who may need to stay home because of getting COVID-19, it also protects individuals from being discriminated against by their employer if they get the illness.
For example, if you realized you got COVID-19, and you told your employer, and they mistreated you, you may have legal recourse to collect damages. Perhaps they were angry with you, berated you, changed your hours (not in relation to you staying home because of the illness), or otherwise discriminated against you.
This is not acceptable in the State of California. If you get sick with COVID-19 (or any illness or disease), your employer does not have the right to treat you poorly. If this happens to you, you can file a claim against your employer for disability discrimination and other possible charges.
Do You Have Questions Related to COVID-19 and Your Employer or Job?
At Knoll Law Group, we are here to help. We understand that navigating this new COVID-19 paid sick leave law and related legislation can be confusing and complicated.
If you have any questions related to this issue or feel you have been denied wages or treated poorly due to contracting COVID-19, get in touch with us today. We’d be happy to sit down with you and talk about your legal options.