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Most New Yorkers are set to lose paid sick leave for Covid-19 next summer, per a budget deal between Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers. But for state employees, the benefit has already ended.
New York’s Office of Labor Relations notified state agencies in March that employees no longer had access to paid sick days specific to Covid, according to Bryan Viggiani, a spokesman for the state’s Department of Civil Service. Employees are now required to use personal sick time for leave related to Covid-19.
The decision was announced in an email to MTA employees last month, according to a report from Hell Gate, which first publicized the policy change.
New York state passed a law at the start of the pandemic that required employers to offer paid sick leave specifically for Covid-19, to allow people to follow isolation and quarantine requirements. The law required state agencies and large businesses to provide 14 days of paid leave, while mandating that smaller businesses provide 5 days of leave.
Hochul pushed to end requirements for paid sick leave in budget discussions this spring. But she reached a deal with lawmakers that pushed the sunsetting of the paid sick leave law to next July. Private companies will no longer be required to offer Covid-specific sick leave in 2025, but for state agencies the policy is in effect immediately.
The state decided to walk back on its paid leave requirements after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eliminated its five-day isolation requirements for people with Covid on March 1. The agency updated its guidance to recommend that people isolate themselves for 24 hours or until their fever goes away.
Paid leave for Covid-19 is still available, but is not implemented unless health authorities mandate isolation or quarantine rules – which have not been in effect since 2022, Viggiani said.
The decision comes as Covid-19 cases have started to tick upward. There were 759 people hospitalized for Covid-19 statewide on Monday, up from roughly 500 earlier this month. Although New York has seen an uptick in Covid infections and hospitalizations in recent weeks, numbers are nowhere near outbreaks observed in January.
Amanda D'Ambrosio , 2024-06-26 09:33:05
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