 The CDC came out with clear instructions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and at the top of the list is to stay home when you're sick. But a lot of American workers don't have that option. 27% of private sector workers don't get paid sick leave, and that's going to make this pandemic a lot more problematic than it needs to be. Over 30 million workers in the US don't get paid sick days. That's not the way it has to be. The US is one of only two OECD countries without federally mandated paid sick leave. So taking off can mean you can't pay your bills, and calling sick can get you fired. So what does that mean when there's a highly contagious disease circulating like right now? It means people who are sick may be going to work and risking infecting their co-workers, their customers, the people they teach, or the people they care for. And it gets worse. Those 30 million or so people without paid sick leave, they're most concentrated in low-wage jobs and in industries that are the most likely to involve the risk of contagion. Restaurant workers, hotel workers, people who work in transportation, travel, and tourism. Less than half of Americans doing restaurant, leisure, and hospitality work have paid sick leave. And for the bottom 10% of wage earners overall, only 30% do. With the coronavirus crisis we're going through today, paid sick leave isn't just the right policy for workers. It's essential to our public health.