Los Angeles City Councilman David Ryu, 4th District, introduced a motion on July 29 to provide two weeks of pay to Angelenos who test positive for COVID-19 and commit to quarantine.

The $25-million wage replacement program would be available to residents regardless of immigration status, housing status or criminal record. Ryu said it will encourage people to be tested for COVID-19. 

“The only way out of this crisis is through increased testing and staying home if you’re sick,” Ryu said. “But you can’t do that if you can’t afford to lose a paycheck or you can’t receive federal aid. Too many Angelenos are being forced into an impossible choice. If we want to bend the curve, we need to make it possible for everyone to stay home when they’re sick – no matter their income or immigration status.”

To receive aid, individuals would have to agree to self-isolate and provide information to contact tracers that is critical to slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus. 

Data shows immigrants and people in communities of color and low-income communities are more likely to become infected with COVID-19 and suffer from more adverse effects and a higher mortality rate. They are also more likely to work in essential jobs that cannot be done from home and interface regularly with the public.

The $2.2 trillion federal CARES Act, signed into law in March, excludes undocumented immigrants from receiving aid. Ryu also introduced a resolution on July 29 urging Congress to extend the CARES Act’s $600 per week emergency unemployment benefit.

For information, visit davidryu.lacity.org.