Colorado sick time law: PHE leave for COVID expires in June

DENVER (KDVR) — The public health emergency is coming to an end, and so is a benefit that helps workers get paid through a case of COVID-19.

Colorado has required paid sick leave for all employees since 2021, when the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act took effect. The law also requires up to 80 hours of additional paid sick leave during a public health emergency, like the COVID-19 pandemic.

But that stage is coming to a close in the U.S., with the federal public health emergency to end on May 11. Colorado’s emergency declaration will also end, the governor’s office has said.

So what does that mean for workers who need to use PHE leave for a COVID-related absence?

PHE leave applies…