Trudeau backs national sick leave plan as Canada prepares for possible second COVID wave

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on May 25 said that his government is planning to give all workers in the country at least ten days of paid sick leave as Canada starts preparing for a possible second wave of the pandemic. Trudeau said in a press conference that people should not be subjected to make a choice between taking a day off on being unwell and paying the essential bills. Even though Canadian PM’s effort might face hurdles because sick leaves are provincial jurisdiction, he said that his government is ‘determined’ to come up with a national paid sick leave program.

"Nobody should have to choose between taking a day off work due to illness or being able to pay their bills. Just like nobody should have to choose between staying home with COVID-19 symptoms or being able to afford rent or groceries," Trudeau.

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He also said, “When the fall comes and flu season starts up we don’t want people who develop a sniffle to suddenly worry that while they really shouldn’t go into work but they can’t afford to not go into work and therefore the risk of contributing to a wave significantly, could be a real problem.”

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As Trudeau hopes to make changes in the country in the wake of the global health crisis, Canada’s top medical officer has warned that the second wave of coronavirus outbreak might even be worse than the first. Country’s chief public health officer Dr Theresa Tam even urged the public health officials to ramp up the capacity for testing, and prepare personal protective equipment as they can “never be overly prepared”. This comes as Canada recorded 87,085 cases of COVID-19 and over 6,600 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University's tally of cases. 

WHO warns of ‘immediate second peak’

Meanwhile, as some of the countries have started lifting restrictions imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned on May 25 that there can be an “immediate second peak” if the measures are halted ‘too soon’. WHO emergencies director Dr Mike Ryan has noted that even though cases of COVID-19 are decreasing in some parts of the world, they have surged in Central and South America, South Asia and Africa. Furthermore, while the world is already in the middle of the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic which originated in China, Ryan said that the governments shall remain “cognizant” that the fatal disease can spike “any time”. 

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Image Source: AP