Worker's 'I Have COVID' Sign Slams Management Who 'Says It's OK to Work'

An alarming sign taped to a gas station store on Sunday warned customers of the potential health risk waiting inside.

Eric Coble works at a gas station convenience store in New York state, according to his social media. He fell sick with COVID-19 and continued to suffer from serious symptoms over a week later, but his manager ordered him back to work, he said. Since he had no choice in exposing patrons, he decided to issue the public health warning himself.

His video of the sign taped to his store door has amassed 1.2 million views on TikTok.

"I have COVID, but management says it's OK to work," the sign said.

Coble told viewers that he woke up feeling sick on July 15. He went to work his overnight shift, but by the time he left the next morning, he felt seriously ill.

"I have got a massive fever, like I'm sure it was in the triple digits, can barely move, I am coughing, I've got stuffy nose," he explained in a follow-up video.

He tested positive on an at-home test and obtained a doctor's note the following day, upon his manager's insistence.

"All week, I get nothing but messages and calls from her asking if I'm better," he said. "I'm like no, I'm still sick, I still have symptoms."

Coble tested positive again on July 23. He told his manager, but she said that time was up.

He recalled her saying, "'Since you're vaccinated and boosted, you only need the five days the CDC says to take off.'"

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its COVID-19 isolation guidelines in December 2021, shortening the quarantine period from 10 to five days for people who have no symptoms or resolving symptoms. However, COVID-positive patients who still show symptoms after five days—regardless of vaccination status—are still advised to continue isolating.

Coble repeated that he still had symptoms, but claimed she replied, "It's fine, we need you back, you have to come back."

The worker said he immediately decided to post the sign, telling viewers, "I don't want to be one of those a**holes that is responsible for getting somebody sick."

He added that he has 80 hours of sick time, but "they don't want me to stay home because they have no one to cover my shift."

Among 22 wealthy nations, the United States is the only country that does not guarantee paid sick leave, according to the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR). The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), passed in March 2020, required employers to provide workers with two weeks of paid sick leave if they had to quarantine—but that protection expired at the end of last year.

Walmart shortened its two weeks of paid leave to less than one week in January, shortly after the CDC updated its isolation guidelines.

Coble's TikTok comments were flooded with outrage at his management. One viewer summarized the general sentiment by fuming, "It's sad that people still have to work with COVID [because] corporations won't pay for their time off."

However, many also thanked Coble for considering the safety of vulnerable customers.

"People deserve to know," said one appreciator. "I'm chronically ill [and] I really appreciate this sign."

"As the mom of a child on chemo I really appreciate the warning," another wrote.

Newsweek reached out to Coble for comment.