Sen. Ed Markey Edward (Ed) John MarkeyMassachusetts town clerk resigns after delays to primary vote count Bogeymen of the far left deserve a place in any Biden administration Senate Democrats urge Amazon to recall, stop sales of explosive products MORE (D-Mass.) on Wednesday urged the adoption of a sick leave policy similar to Ireland’s amid the spread of coronavirus, invoking numerous St. Patrick’s Day parades and events that have been canceled due to the outbreak.

“In lieu of parades, let's celebrate St. Patrick's Day by emulating our Irish friends' national paid sick leave policy,” Markey, an Irish American, tweeted Wednesday, linking to a NowThisNews clip describing Ireland’s adoption of universal sick leave amid what the World Health Organization (WHO) has dubbed a pandemic.

In lieu of parades, let's celebrate St. Patrick's Day by emulating our Irish friends' national paid sick leave policy. https://t.co/SontdV7a6o — Ed Markey (@EdMarkey) March 11, 2020

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Several St. Patrick’s Day parades have been cancelled amid public health experts’ advice to avoid large crowds, including those in Boston, Chicago, Dublin and Cork. Massachusetts has 95 cases of the virus as of Wednesday evening.

Markey’s tweet came the same day Sen. Lamar Alexander Andrew (Lamar) Lamar AlexanderTrump health officials grilled over reports of politics in COVID-19 response Now is the time to renew our focus on students and their futures CDC says asymptomatic people don't need testing, draws criticism from experts MORE (R-Tenn.) blocked unanimous consent for a bill sponsored by Sen. Patty Murray Patricia (Patty) Lynn MurrayTrump health officials grilled over reports of politics in COVID-19 response CDC director pushes back on Caputo claim of 'resistance unit' at agency The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by The Air Line Pilots Association - Pence lauds Harris as 'experienced debater'; Trump, Biden diverge over debate prep MORE (D-Wash.) that would have required employers to offer 14 days of paid sick leave during public health emergencies.

"The idea of paid sick leave is a good idea. But if Washington, D.C., thinks it's a good idea, Washington, D.C., should pay for it," Alexander, the chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, said from the Senate floor Wednesday.