Employers Must Balance Risk, Compliance As Coronavirus Spreads

Employers in U.S. states without sick-leave laws likely will be responsible for determining the best course of action to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the workplace, and their options don’t necessarily have to include providing pay or job protections during periods of absence. Currently, many businesses are looking to state public health officials and the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for guidance. In an interview with Bloomberg Law, Myra Creighton recommended that employers, who are out of scope of FMLA, probably want to respect a worker’s need to quarantine at home for two weeks without penalizing them. 

Myra also explained that “medical leave laws are only one part of the broader compliance considerations facing employers.” She noted that sending a worker home for two weeks of unpaid leave because of a cough could raise concerns under the Americans with Disabilities Act. “Your obligations under the ADA aren’t suspended simply because there’s a new virus out there,” she said. 

To read the full article, visit Bloomberg Law.