WMT Walmart Inc

By Sarah Nassauer

Walmart Inc., the country's largest private employer, is offering store workers two weeks of paid time off if they are directly impacted by the novel coronavirus or a quarantine, the company said Tuesday.

The retailer confirmed Monday that a worker in its Cynthiana, Ky., store had tested positive for Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. "The associate is receiving medical care, and her condition is improving," the company said in a memo to staff.

Many companies that employ a large hourly workforce are reworking paid-time-off rules in the face of the virus, often offering more generous leave policies than usual and encouraging those who feel sick to stay home. Walmart has about 1.5 million U.S. workers.

At Walmart, if a worker becomes infected or is in an area that is part of a mandated quarantine they can be paid for up to two weeks or longer in some cases, Walmart said in its memo. "We've chosen two weeks because it matches the recommended time for quarantines related to this virus," said the memo.

Typically Walmart allows store workers to earn up to 48 hours of paid time off to be used for sick leave or other last minute issues.

To encourage sick workers to stay home, Walmart is also allowing any employee to miss work without negatively affecting their employee record through the end of April. Usually Walmart workers earn negative "points" if they miss work spontaneously without getting approval and can be fired after earning too many points.

Write to Sarah Nassauer at sarah.nassauer@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 10, 2020 16:13 ET (20:13 GMT)

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