The United States is one of three high-income nations that does not guarantee paid sick leave for workers. As of March 2020, 25 percent of private-sector workers had no access to paid sick leave. This number is higher for part-time workers (55 percent) and low-income workers.

Without access to paid sick leave, employees who are financially constrained may show up to work sick. When that happens, they risk passing their illness to others and impose costs on employers through lost productivity. Several studies demonstrate how paid sick leave guarantees at the state and local level can benefit public health and improve worker productivity, with one recent study finding an 11 percent decline in flu-like illnesses when such guarantees are enacted into law.

When the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States, the U.S. Congress recognized that paid sick leave supports public health and economic well-being, and passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act on March 18, 2020. The new law, part of several measures to support the economy and health of the nation against the coronavirus and COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, allows qualified workers across the country who are affected by COVID-19 to take up to 2 weeks of sick leave at full pay.

Now, a new study published in Health Affairs shows that the law was successful in “flattening the curve” of COVID-19 transmissions and was associated with approximately 400 fewer cases of COVID-19 per day in states where the law gave workers new access to guaranteed sick leave.

If more people are eligible for paid sick leave, including people employed by larger firms who are currently ineligible for emergency paid leave under the new law, then it is likely even more cases would be prevented.

Review the full fact sheet on paid sick leave at Equitable Growth.