Extracted from:

Pandemic Planning Policy for Employers: Responding to the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Employers should reserve the right to restrict employees from attending work to prevent the spread of communicable illnesses. This may include requiring ill employees, or employees who have been exposed to certain highly contagious illnesses, to remain at home. These decisions should be made based on the most current available public health and medical information and not on speculation (no matter how well-intentioned).

Employees who are ill with a communicable illness and unable to work should have access to paid sick leave benefits generally available to other employees. If no paid sick leave entitlements are provided by the employer, sick time may be unpaid by the employer. Employees should be reminded of the possible availability of Employment Insurance sickness benefits or other government benefits.

Employees who have been exposed, but who are not ill, should be allowed to work remotely where possible given the nature of their duties and the available technology infrastructure. Where remote work is not possible, employers should obtain specific advice about whether leaves should be paid or unpaid to mitigate possible liability.

Employers should be mindful of employee privacy issues when communicating leave of absence decisions to other employees in the workplace. Information should be limited to confirming that an employee is out of the workplace and their expected return to work date. No other information should be provided without express employee consent. It may be appropriate in some cases to seek that consent and develop a message that the employee is comfortable sharing with coworkers and that is carefully vetted by the employer to ensure compliance with their legal obligations.

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