New Yorkers who get sick from COVID-19 will no longer be able to tap the state-mandated paid sick leave starting Aug. 1, but employees can still use qualifying leave available under other state laws.
The state’s COVID-19 quarantine leave legislation, passed into law in March 2020 by then-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo early in the pandemic, is set to expire on July 31, according to the state.
New York State implemented the leave in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to “guarantee workers job protection and financial compensation in the event they, or their minor dependent child, are subject to a mandatory or precautionary order of quarantine or isolation issued” by the state due to COVID-19, according to the state website.
On Long Island, 53 patients were hospitalized because of COVID-19 earlier this week, down from a high of 169 in February, according to the state's Daily Hospitalization Summary. Statewide, the peak of hospitalizations hit 1,000 in early January, while in late July, the total stood at 261. At the height of the pandemic, the state saw hospitalizations soar to 18,825 in early April 2020. During that same period on Long Island, total COVID-19 hospitalizations hit 4,108.
“After the expiration on July 31, COVID will be treated essentially the same as the flu or any other type of illness," said employment lawyer Jessica C. Moller, a partner at Bond, Schoeneck & King in Melville.
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