Can you afford to take five to seven days off work because of the flu?
Now that Minnesota is classified as a state where flu is "widespread," officials are recommending that children age 5 and younger be kept home from school or daycare for seven days after symptoms first appear. Guidelines urge that students stay home for 24 hours after a fever subsides, and that adults stay home from work if they are sick. Can you afford to take five to seven days off work because of the flu?
Fortunately, I'm a nanny, and work through an agency that has advised that we call in sick with flu symptoms so that the families we work with can use an on-call nanny provided by the agency for lesser inconvenience. We're also told we can call to discuss refusal to care for ill children. -Chelsea Chase, River Falls, WI
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No kids here, but no paid time off left either. Sick kids and parents, too, need to stay home. Our company is assuming lots of telecommuting will happen. -Kathleen, St. Louis Park, MN
We have minimum wage jobs and a daughter on the way. Most of my girlfriend's check is burned up paying for health insurance and mine barely pays for food and other bills. 5 to 7 days off is impossible. -Dave, Minneapolis, MN
I will certainly stay home, even though self-employment means no pay, nobody else deserves getting ill because of my selfish greed. -Roger, Cambridge, MN
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