As COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the United States, the key strategy of the public health response is to slow its transmission as much as possible so that the health care system—including workers—is not overwhelmed.
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schools and child care programs across the country close to comply with social distancing requirements, these health workers will likely find themselves without reliable child care, which will impede their ability to perform their critical work.
To ensure that health providers with young children can do their jobs now and in future crises, child care must be part of emergency planning.
As the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic causes significant economic fallout, policymakers must pass swift and expansive interventions to help workers access paid leave to recover and care for family members.