The DC Paid Leave Campaign, representing a diverse coalition of local businesses, community institutions, service providers, and advocacy organizations, supports Councilmember Elissa Silverman’s proposed emergency legislation to extend and expand COVID-related leave, which is currently in place until November 5, 2021.
For workers across the country, lack of access to paid leave has been a significant barrier to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. The emergency legislation proposed by Councilmember Silverman would remove that obstacle for workers in the District of Columbia, by ensuring paid time off for vaccination and, if necessary, recovery from any side effects.
This legislation would also extend the existing unpaid leave, created in March 2020, which provides leave for COVID-related purposes.
We applaud this effort to make access to vaccines more equitable and to ensure job protection and economic stability for the District’s most vulnerable workers, as we continue to face the COVID-19 pandemic.