VANCOUVER — One of the most impactful things B.C. workers can do to help flatten the COVID-19 curve is to stay home when they're sick, the province's premier reminded the public.
John Horgan spoke from Victoria Wednesday, where he announced he'd extended the provincial state of emergency another two weeks.
He said people need to put the interests of the public ahead of their own, and that means staying isolated and not going into work when exhibiting any signs of illness.
"No more of this heroic, 'I've got a bit of a sniffle but I'll make it through,'" the premier said.
"That cannot be the way we proceed in the future. Critical to our success will be everybody understanding that if you are not well, you should not go into the workplace. And we need to make sure as a society we're putting in place protections for those workers so they don't feel an economic imperative to go into the workplace."
Horgan said employers and peers need to change the connotation around taking sick days so that workers feel they're doing their part to get out of the pandemic by staying home.
He noted they should check their symptoms and consult health-care professionals "not just in the interest of themselves, but their workplace in their broader community."
Horgan was asked whether the premier would be amending laws to ensure part-time and casual workers get paid if they stay home sick.
In the case of a recent outbreak at a Vancouver meat processing plant, workers said they kept showing up, even if they felt sick, because they worried they'd lose wages.
It's a situation Horgan last week called "irresponsible."
But on Thursday, the premier said it's something the government is still grappling with.
"Now that just can't continue, but the economic imperative for many in our economy, to go to work regardless of their physical circumstances, so that they can make ends meet, is a big challenge. Government has a role to play, industry has a role to play," he said.
Horgan said solutions are being discussed, but any new policies need to also take into account the needs of businesses already feeling the economic impact of novel coronavirus.
"We have to work together on a solution… But this is not just for the pandemic. I believe that we need to address the issue of sick pay," he said.
