Monessen delays COVID-19 action

By KRISTIE LINDEN

klinden@yourmvi.com

Monessen council delayed a vote Tuesday on a policy that would outline how the city will deal with employees who have to quarantine due to COVID-19 concerns.

Some council members expressed concern that the policy hadn’t been discussed with the city’s unions or employees before it was brought for a vote.

Last week, during a work session, Solicitor Tim Witt told council it would be smart to consider the impact of COVID-19 quarantines on how employees are paid.

For example, Witt said, if the city doesn’t enact a policy and an employee takes a vacation to one of 19 states that now require a 14-day quarantine upon return to Pennsylvania, the city could be forced to pay for that time off through emergency leave. 

The state department of health has named a total of 19 states with high amounts of COVID-19 cases and has recommended that anyone returning from traveling to those states quarantine when they get home.

Witt and council discussed the issue last week, saying they didn’t want to incentivize travel to those states for employees who would then know an additional two weeks of paid time off would be waiting for them after vacation.

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