Mayor Eric Garcetti extended Los Angeles’ paid leave policy for employees affected by COVID-19.

The policy provides paid time off for employees who have either been exposed to COVID-19, are caring for family affected by COVID-19, or assisting the elderly.

“No one should lose their job or wages to quarantine at home to stop the spread of this virus,” Garcetti said. “L.A.’s supplemental paid leave policy delivers a clear message to working Angelenos: we will help protect your paychecks while all of us do our part to defeat COVID-19.”

For full-time employees who work 40 hours or more, they may be granted up to 80 hours of paid sick leave. For those who work less than 40 hours, a two-week paycheck average must be assessed from the previous 60 days worked.

The order applies to employees who have worked more than 60 days for a company with more than 2,000 employees nationwide. The order also extends to nonprofit organizations with more than 50 to 500 employees.

A doctor’s note is not required for employees to receive the benefit and employers are not allowed to reduce pay or fire an employee for requesting the time off.

The original order was enacted on March 27, 2020, but only applied to employees who worked for a company on or before Feb. 3, 2020. The order’s extension allows the benefit to extend to more recent hires.

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