On June 15, 2021, California reopened, terminating the Stay at Home and the Blueprint for a Safer Economy Orders. Now in place is the Public Health Order

The FFCRA was effected April 1, 2020 and expired December 31, 2020. It required employers having less than 500 employees to provide its employees paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave for specific reasons related to COVID-19. If you needed or took leave between April 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 for an FFCRA qualifying reason, but your employer did not give you that leave or pay you for what should have been considered FFCRA leave, then you have two years from the date of the alleged violation (three years, if the violation was "willful") in which to bring a lawsuit for the violation.

As a result of the continued impact of COVID-19, Governor Newsom signed SB 241, which extends remote court hearings through July 2023.

Courts are considered "essential services" providing services to the public. However, many courts issued emergency orders throughout California adjusting court operations, including trials and hearings, and providing for remote appearances.

California's Labor Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) information about what state programs may be available to assist workers in replacing their wages during this pandemic.

California requires that employers provide a minimum of three days paid sick leave for employees, and depending on the policies, size, or location of your employer, the minimum paid sick days the employer must provide may be more. If the employee has paid sick leave available, the employer must allow the leave and compensate the employee according to the employer's paid sick leave policies. Paid sick leave may cover absences due to illness, diagnosis, care or treatment of an existing health condition or preventative care for the employee or employee's family member. This applies to COVID-19, and may include periods of self-quarantine due to potential exposure to the virus or high risk factors faced by the employee.

Employees who are unable to work because they are sick or quarantined may be eligible for Disability Insurance in California, which provides short term benefit payments to eligible workers who suffer a full or partial loss of wages due to a non-work related illness, injury, or pregnancy. In the face of COVID-19, the one-week unpaid waiting period has been waived.

If you are caring for an ill or quarantined family member and unable to work because of that care provision, you may be eligible for Paid Family Leave, which provides up to six weeks of benefit payments to eligible employees. Eligible employees who suffer a full or partial loss of wages because of their need for time off work to care for a seriously ill family member or to bond with a new child may be eligible for up to 60-70% of their wages (depending on income).

California's schools are back in session, and the state has dedicated an online hub consolidating COVID-19 key resources and information for schools, administrators, and parents.

California has become the first state in the country to enact COVID-19 vaccine requirements for schools, and the state's Department of Public Health has issued a new
Public Health Order

If COVID-19 has resulted in your employer reducing your work hours or shutting down its operations, you may be entitled to partial wage replacement through California's Unemployment Insurance benefits program (UI). The Governor's Stay at Home Order waives the one-week unpaid waiting period. Workers who are temporarily unemployed due to COVID-19 and expected to return to work with their employer within a few weeks are not required to actively seek work each week. However, you must remain able and available and ready to work during their unemployment for each week of benefits claimed and meet all other eligibility criteria.

California provides various insurance programs for employees as a wage replacement benefit. Those insurance programs include Disability Insurance, Paid Family Leave, and Unemployment Insurance. If you are a worker who is self-employed, you may not be eligible for these programs unless you or your employer made contributions in the past 5 to 18 months. However, if you have been misclassified as an independent contractor instead of an employee, you may still be eligible for these benefit programs. Visit Self-Employed/Independent Contractor to learn more.

California employers must protect workers exposed to airborne infectious diseases, including COVID-19. Cal/OSHA has posted guidance to help employers comply with these safety requirements and to provide workers information on how to protect themselves.These guidances effect workers such as Health Care Providers, Child Care Providers, and Workers in General Industry.

As an alternative to layoffs, certain employers may be eligible to participate in California's Unemployment Insurance (UI) Work Sharing Program if COVID-19 has caused the employer to reduce production, services, or other conditions of work. Under the Work Sharing Program, employees whose hours and wages have been reduced may be helped through facilitated receipt of UI benefits, keeping their current job, and avoiding financial hardship.