While the paid leave provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) have dominated headlines for employers lately, local businesses should take care not to forget about the Pittsburgh Paid Sick Days Act (the Act) when evaluating employee leave requests related to the coronavirus pandemic. Though it was not enacted in response to COVID-19 and is not limited in scope to the ongoing pandemic, the Act became effective on March 15, 2020 (two weeks before the FFCRA), and it could provide paid leave to employees for a variety of COVID-19 related reasons. The list below gives a high-level summary of the circumstances for which eligible employees can take paid leave under the Act: 

1. For an employee’s mental or physical health condition or need for medical treatment (including preventive care);
2. Caring for a family member for the reasons summarized in (1);
3. Closure of employee’s place of business by order of public official due to a public health emergency;
4. For an employee’s need to care for a child whose school or place of care has been closed by order of a public official due to a public health emergency; or
5. Caring for a family member when it’s been determined by health officials or by a provider that the family member’s presence in the community would jeopardize the health of others.