A state senator wants the Kentucky legislature to approve legislation that would require employers to give employees paid sick leave in order to help limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Senate Bill 282, filed by state Sen. Morgan McGarvey of Louisville, would make people who work in Kentucky for a particular employer for at least 30 days within a year, from the commencement of their employment, entitled to paid sick days.

And it would require employers to provide at least 24 hours, or three 8-hour work days, of paid sick leave to individual employees each calendar year.

“Employers should realize that it is in their best interest to provide sick workers with time off,” McGarvey, who's a Democrat, said in a news release Monday. “Having a potentially sick employee puts others at risk, and we mustn’t take the health crisis we have on our hands lightly.”

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SB 282 was introduced in the Senate last week and includes various specifications how businesses could go about meeting its requirements.

For example, employers would be expected to provide eight hours of paid sick leave to an employee after they complete 120 hours or 30 days of employment (whichever happens last). That employee would accrue further paid sick time as well.

“We must get out in front of this potential epidemic," McGarvey said.

He also has filed a resolution in the Senate that asks the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services to assess the state's preparedness to address the COVID-19 virus and report back to the legislature by March 31.

His proposed resolution invites the cabinet to detail, among other things:

any budgetary needs it has to combat the coronavirus

precautions for preventing the COVID-19 virus from spreading in polling places during elections

strategies to prevent it from spreading in schools, long-term care facilities and workplaces

“With the international outbreak of the coronavirus and the reported cases in Kentucky, we must stand ready to combat the spread of this virus,” McGarvey said in Monday's news release. “Moving forward, the best thing we can do is not incite fear, but rather listen to the health care professionals and be informed on the best hygiene practices to marginalize transmission.”

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Morgan Watkins: 502-582-4502; mwatkins@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @morganwatkins26. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/morganw.