Yesterday Royal Decree-Law 6/2020 of 10 March entered into force, which adopts specific, urgent measures in the economic sphere and for public health protection.
In terms of public health protection, the modification of Article 5 of Organic Law 3/1986, of 14 April, on Special Measures for Public Health Matters, is especially relevant: as of 12 March 2020, and as an exception, periods of isolation or infection as a consequence of the coronavirus shall be understood as situations similar to an occupational accident.
This means that, both freelance workers (autónomos) and staff workers shall be entitled to a subsidy equivalent to 75% of the regulatory base; and it shall be paid from the day following the first day of leave. Payment of this compensation shall be borne by the Social Security system. The duration of the subsidy will depend on the duration of the leave.
In any case, yesterday the government urgently called a new meeting of the Council of Ministers to evaluate the adoption of new measures, mainly economic and labour-related, to attempt to mitigate the effects that the coronavirus is having on our markets.
For further information: Monika Bertram