California votes to require paid sick leave for virus cases

The California Legislature has approved a bill requiring workers receive up to two weeks of paid time off if they get sick from the coronavirus

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- When Crystal Orozco got sick with the coronavirus last month, she missed nearly two weeks’ worth of her salary as a shift leader at a fast food restaurant and had to ask family members for a loan to help pay her rent.

“My check was literally $86,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh my god.’”

Now, Orozco is likely to get that money back. The California Legislature passed a bill Monday requiring many companies to give workers up to two weeks of paid time off if they get sick from the coronavirus. The bill is retroactive to Jan. 1, so Orozco could be eligible for backpay for the days she missed when she was sick.

At the start of the pandemic, state and federal laws required most employers to give workers paid time off for the coronavirus. But many of those laws expired as more people got vaccinated and case numbers declined. California's law expired in September.