President Trump signed into law the Emergency “Families First Coronavirus Act” into law. Here is a short summary:
* The law goes into effect from April 2, 2020 and will stay into effect until Dec 31, 2020 (unless changed again)
* The changes apply to Employers with more than 50 employees (changed from 500 employee criteria before)
So, if you are a small employer, you are not impacted by this law. If you have more than 50 employees, be prepared to:
* Start providing sick leave within 15 days of enactment
* Provide notification to your work force on new policies and procedures
Keep in mind that law limits itself to people impacted by Coronavirus (either diagnosed by it, quarantined because of it, or caring for someone who is). At this point, how it will be interpreted for other illnesses that may be unrelated or only loosely related to Coronavirus.