As Ontario struggles to contain the second wave of the coronavirus, the lack of paid sick days for essential frontline workers is only adding to the number of cases.

On Monday, the Toronto Board of Health voted unanimously in favour of a motion asking the provincial government to ensure workers have access to 10 paid sick days during the pandemic. But the Ford government remains unmoved.

Labour unions and public health experts have emphasized the importance of paid sick days as both a labour rights issue and a vital part of helping to limit the workplace spread of the virus. Mayor John Tory and Toronto’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Eileen de Villa, have both advocated for better paid sick leave policies. They joined Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam, who called for paid sick leave benefits for long-term care workers and other employees back in October.

A report released in August by the Decent Work and Health Network found that 58 per cent of workers in Canada have no access to paid sick leave. For those making less than $25,000 a year, that number is over 70 per cent.

The report noted that low-wage workers, including grocery store workers, care workers, delivery workers and cleaners, are most at risk for exposure to COVID-19.

Meanwhile, workplace spread of the virus has been a major source of infection, including at Cargill meat processing plant.

Outbreaks on farms, which rely heavily on migrant workers, have accounted for some 1,000 cases and three deaths in the province.

Newly released data paints a similar picture in Toronto.

During a press briefing on January 21, de Villa revealed that Toronto Public Health (TPH) data as of November 30, found that 49 per cent of COVID-19 cases in city were among people living in lower-income households.

According to the data, people earning less than $30,000 per year are 1.9 times more likely to contract COVID-19 and 2.7 times more likely to be hospitalized with the virus compared to rest of population.

“It is important to acknowledge how people’s living and working conditions are contributing to these inequities,” she said, calling the lack of paid sick leave “a significant barrier to our pandemic management efforts.”