We have reached another milestone in Colorado's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Colorado's public health emergency (PHE) sick leave, in place since January 1, 2021, officially ends today, June 8, 2023. Starting tomorrow, PHE sick leave related to COVID-19 is no longer available for Colorado employees.

Employees' unused PHE sick leave does not carry over and does not need to be paid out at termination of employment. Regular paid sick leave carries on as usual.

Even though COVID-19 leave is over, employers should continue to monitor the State of Colorado's website dedicated to the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act and paid sick leave, particularly as we move into fall and cold and flu season. PHE sick leave will restart with any future public health emergency declaration. This past spring, the State of Colorado briefly extended the availability of PHE sick leave to employees suffering from RSV and similar respiratory illnesses. It remains to be seen what public health situations might trigger PHE sick leave in the future.