Washington, D.C.—Twenty patient and caregiver advocacy groups have signed a letter to the president calling for reinstatement of emergency paid sick and family leave time in a possible COVID supplemental relief package.
The groups, which represent patients with serious illnesses including cancer, ALS, muscular dystrophy, epilepsy, hemophilia, Alzheimer’s, Long COVID and many others note that at the start of the pandemic 33 million Americans did not have a single day of paid sick time; a figure that remains largely unchanged. Considering the surge in COVID cases and the expectation of future variants, the groups say it is essential anyone who needs to stay home to recover or care for someone with COVID-19 be able to do so without sacrificing income or possibly losing their job. This is particularly important for patients with critical illness and their caregivers. Without these protections they may be unable to follow appropriate guidelines to quarantine and isolate.
Emergency paid sick leave, as provided in the first covid relief package, provided millions of Americans with paid time off and is estimated to have prevented more than 400 cases of COVID-19 per day in each state.