Americans too scared to go to work risk losing
unemployment aid, experts say
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[April 23, 2020] By
Andy Sullivan
(Reuters) - U.S. workers who refuse to
return to their jobs because they are worried about catching the
coronavirus should not count on getting unemployment benefits, state
officials and labor law experts say.
Workers in a handful of U.S. states will face this situation this week,
as state officials hope to revive economies paralyzed by shutdowns
related to the epidemic.
Under an order by Georgia's Republican Governor Brian Kemp, barbershops,
gyms, nail salons and tattoo parlors will be able to open on Friday,
with restaurants able to open for sit-down service on Monday.
South Carolina allowed retailers to open on Monday, and Texas and
Tennessee have said they will ease some restrictions in coming weeks.
None of these states currently meet the White House guidelines for
reopening only following two weeks of declines in the number of positive
tests for the disease.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2020/Apr/23/images/ads/current/graue_sda_2016.png)
Public health officials say reopening local businesses, without adequate
testing will expose more people to a pandemic that has infected more
than 800,000 Americans and killed more than 40,000 since February.
About 22 million have filed for unemployment benefits in the past four
weeks, with millions more expected to file on Thursday.
State unemployment laws generally do not allow workers to collect
jobless benefits if they refuse work available to them, said Thomas
Smith, an assistant finance professor at Emory University's Goizueta
Business School. That could force workers in Georgia back to their jobs
at a time when it is not clear whether the risk of infection has abated,
he said.
"You're asking people to put their life on the line," he said. "These
people aren't Army Rangers - those people signed up for combat. A barber
did not."
Going back to work is a worrisome prospect for Decatur, Georgia,
librarian Felicities Yee, 36, who said she fears exposure to the virus
because she is expecting her first child in July.
"I feel embarrassed and afraid to be in Georgia right now," Yee said.
Public libraries in her county remain closed for now.
Georgia's Labor Department says it has processed more than 860,000
unemployment claims since mid-March, when President Donald Trump
declared a national emergency because of the coronavirus. That is equal
to 17% of the total state workforce. Officials say they are now paying
out twice as many claims in a single week as they did for all of 2019
and have distributed more than $500 million in benefits.
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![](../images/042320pics/busine31.jpg)
The interior of a hair salon and wig shop is seen days before the
phased reopening of businesses and restaurants from the coronavirus
disease (COVID-19) restrictions in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. April 22,
2020. Hair salons are among the businesses allowed to reopen to the
public on Friday. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2020/Apr/23/images/ads/current/anh3_lda_SFARM_2019.png)
Some critics say the state's early reopening is an attempt to push people out of
a safety-net system that is straining state finances.
"I think that one of the big drivers of this decision by Kemp is to get people
off unemployment rolls and having the private sector keeping these people
afloat," said Georgia employment lawyer James Radford.
Kemp's office declined to comment on that, but pointed to a new rule that allows
workers to collect full unemployment benefits even if they earn up to $300 per
week. That could help those who are not called back to work full time, officials
say.
Georgia workers worried about their health should try to work out a deal, State
Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said.
"If an employee is concerned about returning to work due to exposure to
COVID-19, we are encouraging employees to communicate with their employers on
plans to safely return to work," he said in a statement.
Some Georgia businesses are opting not to open at all at this point due to
employees' safety concerns.
At Manuel's Tavern in Atlanta, general manager Steve Pitts said he and many of
staffers are reluctant to come back to work while the pandemic is still not
contained. The restaurant remains closed for now.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2020/Apr/23/images/ads/current/peasley%20lda%20080907.png)
"I have a daughter and I want to be around for her," said Pitts, 53. "It's still
too dangerous."
(Reporting by Andy Sullivan; additional reporting by Jessica Resnick-Ault and
Rich McKay; Editing by Heather Timmons and Leslie Adler)
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