Council approves resolution to extend emergency paid sick leave
During Monday’s meeting of the Marshall County Council, Commissioner Kevin Overmyer presented Resolution 2021-02 for the council’s consideration. Resolution 2021-02 is an extension of emergency paid sick leave.
“As some of you may be aware, or not aware, we have a lot of new employees that have contracted COVID and they don’t have any sick time yet, they don’t have any personal days,” said Overmyer. “This allows the opportunity for those people to continue to be paid.”
When asked, Overmyer stated that the county still had Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding available for this.
The original resolution was in response to the COVID19 Coronavirus Response Act which
adopted a policy for emergency paid sick leave. That resolution was in effect until Dec. 31, 2020.
The council approved the resolution on Monday which extends the policy and is in effect from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 of this year.
In the resolution, it states that Marshall County shall provide full-time employees 80 hours of paid sick leave regardless of that employee’s duration of employment.
Paid sick leave is applicable for the following:
• to comply with employer directive to leave work as a result of a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher or other at-risk factors as determined by the employer related to COVID19;
• employee is subject to a federal, state or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID-19;
• employee is advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to COVID-19 concerns;
• employee is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and seeking medical diagnosis;
• to care for an individual subject to a federal, state or local quarantine or isolation order or advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to COVID19 concerns;
• to care for the employee’s child if the child’s school or place of care has been closed or the child’s care provider is unavailable due to public health emergency; or
• employee is experiencing any other substantially similar condition specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Labor.
For the first four bullet points, the employee will receive their 80 hours at that employee’s regular rate. For the last three bullet points, the employee will receive their 80 hours at two-thirds that employee’s regular rate.
“Paid sick leave wages are limited to a maximum of $511 per day up to $5,110 total per employee for their own use and a maximum of $200 per day up to $2,000 total to care for others and any other substantially similar condition,” states the resolution.
The policy doesn’t extend to part-time employees or employees that have an irregular schedule.
“For purposes of this policy, symptoms of COVID-10 Coronavirus include: a fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, shortness of breath, cough, and dizziness,” clarifies the policy.
The emergency paid sick leave does not carry over to the following year, but it does run concurrently with emergency FMLA leave.
Finally, the policy addresses that after an employee’s isolation or quarantine due to COVID19, that employee may return to work under the following circumstances:
• Employees not tested for COVID-19 must have had no fever for at least 72 hours (without the use of medicine that reduces fever); other symptoms must have improved; and must have been at least seven days since the employee’s symptoms first appeared.
• Employees tested for COVID19 must have had no fever (without the use of medicine that reduces fever); other symptoms must have improved; and received two negative tests in a row, 24 hours apart.
“We have to take care of our people,” Overmyer said.
The council approved this unanimously.