Pittsburgh has joined other American cities by enacting new legislation to address the uptick in COVID-19 cases from a sick leave perspective.

On July 29, 2021, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto signed a new ordinance granting COVID-19 sick time to certain employees working within the city (the “July 29 Ordinance”). Although the July 29 Ordinance is technically “new,” it is closely related to (and practically mirrors) Pittsburgh’s December 9, 2020, Temporary COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Time Law (the “December 20 Ordinance”). Similar to the December 20 Ordinance, the new legislation supplements the Pittsburgh Paid Sick Days Act (PSDA) and amends the PSDA by expressly permitting employees to take sick time under the PSDA before it is accrued if the reason for use arises directly from COVID-19. Read more about the new ordinance here.