Isolation, testing requirements mean thousands of workers off without pay

HALIFAX -- With a record number of cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia, the Liberal government must create paid sick days for all workers.

“When people aren’t feeling well or are worried they might have symptoms of COVID-19, they need to be able to afford to stay home,” said NDP Leader Gary Burrill. “Too many people in our province are without paid sick days and the government has it within their power to fix that.”

Last week Dr. Robert Strang said thousands of Nova Scotians are in isolation including many who were at exposure sites. Many of the exposure sites in the province are workplaces.

“For many folks who have to self-isolate while waiting for a test, they are losing several days' pay,” said NDP Labour spokesperson Kendra Coombes. “If our province had paid sick days then workers who were simply doing their jobs and got caught in a COVID-19 exposure wouldn’t also have to worry about missing income.”

The province is dealing with a backlog of tests meaning many people are isolating for additional days while waiting for a negative result.

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