Pickens County to end standalone COVID leave policy, revert to standard sick leave April 1

The Pickens County Board of Commissioners voted to end the county's separate COVID leave policy and return employees to the standard sick‑leave schedule, effective April 1.

The board's chair (name not stated) said the county previously had a two‑week COVID leave, later reduced to five days, and recommended eliminating the separate policy now that the severity of COVID‑19 has declined. "I would like to make the recommendation that we do, move forward with eliminating that COVID policy," the chair said during the meeting.

The chair and other commissioners discussed how sick‑leave accruals vary by years of service. The chair explained a standard eight‑hour employee typically receives two weeks of sick leave per year and noted donated sick‑leave options exist for employees who exhaust their accruals.

After brief discussion the board moved and seconded the proposal and voted to approve the change. The policy change will take effect April 1; the county said employees will continue to have access to regular sick leave and the donated sick‑leave bank.

The county did not provide exact counts of affected employees during the meeting; questions were deferred to staff for follow‑up. The board did not specify any transitional pay or administrative rules beyond returning to the standard sick‑leave schedule.