San Francisco Coronavirus Cases Increase; City To Provide Workers Paid Sick Leave
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The number of new coronavirus cases in San Francisco increased to 40 as the city reported three new cases Monday.
City officials cautioned the public from relying on the confirmed case count as an indicator of how widespread the virus may be, and urged people to practice social distancing and maintain good hygiene.
Mayor London Breed announced Monday the city would provide paid sick leave to private sector workers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The plan would earmark $10 million in public funding for businesses to provide an up to five days of sick leave pay to their workers beyond any existing policies.
It's estimated up to 25,000 San Francisco employees would be able to take advantage of the program.
"Public health comes first in this crisis, but we know that many people have less flexibility to stay home and keep paying their rent if they do get sick," said Mayor Breed in a prepared statement. "We want everyone to know that staying home to take care of themselves and their families is the most important thing they can do, not only for their own health but also to slow the spread of this virus in our community. By providing more paid sick leave to our workers, San Francisco can help us make sure people are making the right choices to help us all get through this crisis."
The city also announced Monday the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) will not turn off power or water service over delinquent payments, and both the SFPUC and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) will no longer add penalties to delinquent payments during the City's Local Emergency response to coronavirus.
