More and more schools and daycare centers remain closed due to the corona virus. Working parents face the problem of who now looks after the children. Can you stay at home?
- More and more schools, daycare centers and kindergartens are closed due to the corona virus .
- Working parents now have to talk to their employer about alternatives.
- Who pays the salary if parents have to stay at home because of a sick child?
The corona virus * has an increasing impact on everyday life. In many federal states, schools, kindergartens and daycare centers are closed as a precaution. The result: children stay at home and parents face the problem of who should take care of their children. Can workers just stay away from the office or can employers insist on attendance?
What to do if the day care center or school are closed due to corona virus?
If the school, kindergarten or day care center remains closed due to the corona virus , parents also have the option of staying at home. However, only if there is evidence that there is no alternative.
If your child has to stay at home because of a closure, you should sit down with your employer and look for solutions. You may be able to work in the home office . If this is not possible, you must take a vacation * - in consultation with your boss, unpaid vacation can also be taken.
Read here: Sick leave - Does the weekend really count towards the three-day period?
Who pays when their own child is sick?
If your child is ill, parents can generally stay at home. Each parent can stay at home for up to ten working days per child - depending on the employer. Single parents have up to 20 days per child. However, not all days are always paid . Parents must also prove that the child was actually ill and there was no other alternative to care - for example, grandparents.
But be careful: those who stay at home because of their sick child do not always get their wages paid. In some employment contracts, this is even impossible, as the Süddeutsche Zeitung reports. What if the employer stops paying?
Learn here: Coronavirus - Will Quarantine Workers Continue to Receive Salaries?
Then the health insurance companies step in and pay child sickness benefits . For this, the child must be legally insured, be under the age of twelve, have a medical certificate * from the first day of the illness, have to be looked after from a medical point of view and no alternative care must be available.
The health insurance does not pay the full wages. Instead, there is 90 percent of the lost net wages from the first day - minus the contributions for pension, unemployment and long-term care insurance. Up to 20 working days are paid per child - ten per parent.
Also interesting: sick leave - In this case, the boss can reject the certificate.
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