Loss of Emergency Sick Leave for Out-of-State Travel

Employees returning from personal travel to states with surging COVID case numbers are no longer eligible for emergency sick leave if they catch the virus.

In order to ensure the safety of your staff, dealers are permitted to inquire about an employee’s travel plans and should notify the employee of the travel advisory and limitations on paid sick leave.  Presently there are 15 States that New York has identified as COVID-19 hotspots. Dealers should check with the Department of Health’s website for an updated list of restricted States. 

If you become aware that an employee has traveled to one of these hotspot locations, you are required to have them stay at home for 14 days.  Even if they have tested negative for the virus, the employee is still required to quarantine.

In March, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill giving two weeks of emergency sick leave to employees who receive a quarantine order from the state or a county board of health, however, the benefit does not apply to employees who returned from personal travel to a number of countries listed as virus hotspots. The new ruling now includes designated U.S. States. 

Employee who return from any of those states or countries, can use their accrued sick leave benefits during their quarantine period, and their job is protected by law. But those workers are not eligible for the emergency COVID sick leave. Unemployment benefits may not be available to employees who travel to known hotspot states.  If none of these leaves are available to the employee, the quarantine time would be unpaid leave.

You can track the countries for which the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued travel warnings by clicking here.  

If you have questions about handling employees that travel to hotspots or anything else, call the Dealer Hotline at 718.746.5900.  

You can also find additional COVID related updates at gnyada-covid19.com.