Giving Compass' Take:

• Isabel V. Sawhill and Morgan Welch explain why the United States' current paid leave policy has dangerous implications on reopening the economy.

• What kind of a mindset change will it take to encourage workers to stay home and prevent the spread of the virus? What can you do to push for comprehensive paid leave policy in the United States?

• Find resources that can guide you in supporting those who've been negatively impacted by coronavirus.

If the country is to begin the reopening process and minimize the chances of a new wave of COVID-19 infections, it will be critical to enable people to stay home when they or a family member is sick or in need of care.

The United States is the only advanced country without a federally mandated paid leave policy. As such, it was ill-prepared when the pandemic hit. In reaction, on March 18, 2020, temporary legislation was enacted to mandate sick leave to stop the spread of the virus and protect the wages of sick workers. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) provides up to two weeks of paid sick leave at 100 percent of an individual’s salary, capped at $511 per day, as well as an additional 10 weeks of paid family and medical leave at two-thirds of the individual’s salary to care for a child who is home due to school or day care closures. However, the legislation is temporary and will expire at the end of this year.

If we want to contain the spread of this virus, including any subsequent waves that may occur before we find a safe vaccine or achieve herd immunity, then paying people to self-isolate when they are sick is an imperative. Some people, to be sure, will be asymptomatic. The solution here is more widespread testing. In the case of those with mild symptoms, it will be important to inculcate a new ethic of responsibility toward others to replace the current ethic of work-comes-first. Employers and supervisors are part of the problem—they tend to reward those who always show up and not those who choose to stay home. That must change.

Read the full article about paid leave policy by Isabel V. Sawhill and Morgan Welch at Brookings.