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VICTORIA — B.C. businesses will be forbidden from firing any employee who needs to self-isolate or call in sick during the coronavirus pandemic, under a new law passed Monday.

Solicitor General Mike Farnworth said the changes “ensure that no worker in B.C. can lose their job for following the directions of the provincial health officer.”

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Employers will have to give a person their same job, or an equivalent position, once they return to work after being sick or otherwise off work during the pandemic, said Farnworth.

That includes a worker following any order or guideline from the provincial or federal government, any direction by an employer to stay home due to concerns about exposure to others, and any worker who encounters travel problems due to a border restriction, said Farnworth.

It also extends protections to employees who have to care for their child, or dependent adult, he said.