Healthcare Employee Pandemic and Epidemic Paid Sick Leave

On September 9, 2020, the City amended Chapter 9-4100 of the Philadelphia Code, entitled “Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces.” This ensures that certain healthcare employees will be compensated if they contract a communicable disease during a pandemic or epidemic event, under certain terms and conditions.

Under § 9-4117, healthcare organizations with 10 or more employees are required to provide eligible employees (including pool employees) with additional paid sick leave when they miss work and test positive for a pandemic- or epidemic-related disease until they are able to return to work. This includes hospitals, nursing homes, and home health providers. This additional paid sick leave or “Healthcare Epidemic Leave” must be provided outside of and prior to the eligible employee’s accrued leave time.

In order to qualify for this additional Healthcare Epidemic Leave, the healthcare employee must have worked for the employer at least 40 hours in the three months prior to contracting the pandemic- or epidemic-related disease.

Healthcare employers are also required to provide notice to employees regarding their rights under this law.

Though this healthcare employee paid sick leave for COVID-19 expired in December 2024, this provision remains in effect and will apply during any future declared public health emergencies.

For more information or to ask questions, email workerprotection@phila.gov or call the Worker Protection Hotline at (215) 686-0802. Language access is available.