Could it pay to quarantine? L.A. weighs giving people with COVID-19 cash to stay home

Not everyone can afford to take a sick day — much less spend a week or more in quarantine — and that’s a real problem in a pandemic, for them, their family, and their community, according to Los Angeles City Council member David Ryu.

He introduced a possible solution Wednesday, a wage-replacement measure meant to slow the virus’ spread, by putting money in the pockets of those who couldn’t otherwise afford to miss work.

Like much of the country, California is struggling to rein in the coronavirus as it spreads. And as long as the sick are clocking in instead of staying home, it won’t be corralled, Ryu said.

“The only way out of this crisis is through increased testing and staying home if you’re sick,” Ryu said. “But you can’t do that if you can’t afford to lose a paycheck or you can’t receive federal aid. Too many Angelenos are being forced into an impossible choice. If we want to bend the curve, we need to make it possible for everyone to stay home when they’re sick — no matter their income or immigration status.”

Under the act, $25 million would be set aside to cushion working people who have tested positive for COVID-19, providing two weeks of compensation.

Housing status, immigration status and criminal history would all be irrelevant, but applicants must agree to quarantine and cooperate with contact tracers.

With the temporary $600 boost in unemployment aid from the CARES Act expiring on July 31, millions of Americans will be in tighter financial straits.

That includes 830,000 LA residents, ABC7 reported, and elected leaders and health officials are worried.

“No local community has enough money to pick up the pieces. But here in California we’re looking at how can we stretch out unemployment benefits,” L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said. “This is really Washington’s responsibility... If they don’t step up we’ll do everything we can, but it’s pretty dangerous.”

Another council member, Nury Martinez, brought up a separate plan calling for $50 million to support low-income families with basic needs, like food and rent, CBSLA reported.

Martinez’s proposal is modeled after a San Francisco program that helps poor, working Latinos stay home if infected with coronavirus.

“While Latinos are dying at twice the rate of white Angelenos in L.A. County from COVID-19, many of the safeguards meant to assist, including Federal Relief, are not reaching poor, immigrant Latinos and others, who often work as essential workers or simply do not have medical insurance or Paid Leave and cannot afford to stay home,” Martinez said.

Both Ryu’s plan and Martinez’s would provide for undocumented immigrants, a demographic left out of the federal CARES Act.

This story was originally published July 30, 2020 at 6:24 PM.