Public health authorities are suggesting that we all self-quarantine.

[guillaumeb]

Not 100%, but they are suggesting that people should work from home, or use leave to stay home.

First, most jobs do cannot be done from home. Yes, certain professionals can work from home if their employer agrees, but what of the vast majority of workers who literally cannot do their job from their home? Is staying home on some type of paid leave really an option?

But compared to employees in other nations, Americans take significantly fewer days off.

One reason for this is that American companies offer fewer vacation days. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 76 percent of private industry workers (who make up 84.7 percent of all workers) receive paid vacation days. After one year of employment, these workers were granted 10 days of paid vacation, on average.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/05/heres-how-many-paid-vacation-days-the-typical-american-worker-gets-.html

So if only 76% of American workers even get vacation, what of the other 24% And even among those with vacation, 2-3 weeks seems to be the maximum.

And there is sick leave.

On average, workers in private industry received 7 days of sick leave per year at 1 year of service. The average also was 7 days at 5 and 10 years of service and 8 sick days per year at 20 years of service. Employees in smaller establishments received fewer paid sick days, on average, than employees in establishments with 500 workers or more.

https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2019/private-industry-workers-with-sick-leave-benefits-received-8-days-per-year-at-20-years-of-service.htm

Looking at these sources, it is apparent that many workers might receive a combined total of 2-3 weeks of paid leave. And a significant number of workers, part time workers, contract workers, gig economy workers, and many service industry workers, receive no type of paid leave.

So if self-quarantining is the answer, how long before millions of American workers cannot pay their mortgage, or their rent?

Remember the statistic that approximately 40% of Americans could not handle an unexpected $400 emergency expense.

And remember too that the GOP austerity economics, and the GOP war on unions and workers in general, are the reasons that we are in this situation.

And remember that the GOP war on "big government", and the GOP lie about "fake news", are the foundation of how the GOP governs. What we see here, in the inability of the GOP to govern, or to even acknowledge that they should be doing something, is the natural result of the GOP war on government and war on science.

[True Blue American]

1. Mike DeWine

Just said that schools may be closed for the Semester.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

2. This is going to sound cold, but this is an outstanding opportunity for the left to push much of

what it's been fighting for for decades. Instead of asking "what can we do? what will happen?", now is the time to talk about what is helpful.

[guillaumeb]

10. Agreed.

If we can pass legislation mandating sick leave, we can demand that such mandates be made permanent and national in scope.

We can demand more money for healthcare infrastructure, and MFA so healthcare is seen as a right, not a privilege.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

3. GOP ideology fails. GOP, including the Grotesque Orange Pustule, is unfit for office.

A government's primary purpose is to protect. That's more than just military defense; that includes protection of everything people need to thrive. It's why we form governments -- to protect by regulation.

[Nature Man]

4. Are the local courts going to suspend evictions?

Will landlords not expect their rents on the 1st?

[2naSalit]

6. +1

[guillaumeb]

11. And the utilities.

And the credit card companies.

What happens when millions have no money to pay their bills?

[fernlady]

5. a possible solution from the Great Depression

I've been thinking about the issue of people not being able to pay rent, mortgage, car payments, credit cards, utilities, much less purchase food and medicine due to this mess.

When we bought our first house in Illinois, I was surprised and confused to learn that in Cook County (Chicago) the property tax is paid a year in arrears. In other words, in 2020, you pay the property tax for 2019. After some research, I discovered that during the Great Depression, the property taxes for 1934 were waived for that year. I guess enough people were unable to pay that it made more sense to waive the tax than kick people into the street en masse. The taxes have been paid a year in arrears ever since.

Perhaps something similar can be done for other bills in this emergency. I know the Rs will probably kick and scream about loosing a chance to snap up all those foreclosed homes, but ....

[marble falls]

9. Never knew that. Thanks!

[guillaumeb]

12. Welcome to DU.

A temporary freeze would deprive local communities of operating income.

But what if we passed a temporary surcharge on the very rich? A surcharge on all income over 5 million dollars?

[ck4829]

7. What I do, it gets done day to day. There won't be a job for me to return to

if my co-workers and I had to do this.

[guillaumeb]

13. And millions are in the same situation.

Most service industry workers live paycheck to paycheck.

[dalton99a]

8. Yeah, car mechanics, cooks, nurses, plumbers should telecommute

[guillaumeb]

14. The police, firefighters, utility workers,

nurses, doctors, road repair crews, municipal workers, childcare workers, and many other job categories.