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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a new job protection bill for New Yorkers who have been quarantined and are unable to go to work as a result of the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Under the new law, which took effect on Tuesday, March 17, employers with 10 or fewer employees and a net income less than $1 million will provide job protection for the duration of the quarantine order.
Employers with less than 100 employees and a net income greater than $1 million will provide at least 5 days of paid sick leave, job protection for the duration of the quarantine order.
In both those instances, employers must guarantee their workers access to Paid Family Leave and disability benefits (short-term disability) for the period of quarantine including wage replacement for their salaries up to $150,000.
Employers with more than 100 employees will provide at least 14 days of paid sick leave and guarantee job protection during the duration of the quarantine.
Last week, Cuomo announced the state will guarantee two full weeks of paid leave for all state workers who are subject to a mandatory or precautionary order of quarantine as a result of the novel coronavirus.
"The paid sick leave measure we've agreed to today expands those protections to all new Yorkers - because no New Yorker should lose their job or income for following a critical public health order," Cuomo said. "This is an extraordinary time in this nation's history, and it will go down in the history books as one of those moments of true crisis and confusion."
As of March 17, these are the 10 hardest hit counties in New York State:
- New York City: 644 positive cases (187 new);
- Westchester: 380 (157);
- Nassau: 131 (24);
- Suffolk: 84 (21);
- Albany: 23 (11);
- Rockland: 22 (nine);
- Dutchess: 16 (six);
- Orange: 15 (four);
- Monroe: 10 (one);
- Saratoga: nine (four).
Cases have also been reported in Sullivan, Ulster, and Putnam counties.
New York’s 1,374 cases have resulted in 12 deaths, and are by far the most confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country, ahead of Washington (904), California (583) and Massachusetts (917). There have been 5,023 cases reported nationally, which resulted in 89 deaths.
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