Brad Hoylman wants New York to investigate ‘long COVID’ impact on workers

A Manhattan Democrat wants New York to find out how much the so-called “long COVID” is dragging down workers across the Empire State, under laws introduced Friday.

“It’s up to the government to come to terms with how many workers are not back because of the long COVID and the cost to the state of these absences, and how we can protect them and ensure the future of these workers,” said Sen. Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan) to The Post.

The coronavirus can cause a range of long-term symptoms, including chronic fatigue, trouble sleeping, heart problems, shortness of breath and a brain fog that makes mental tasks difficult, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

A Brookings Institute study in August found that about 16 million American adults suffer from such conditions, with about $170 billion in lost wages among the millions of them unemployed.

Hoylman said the matter was personal to him following his own recovery from COVID-19.

“I know friends and family members who have had long-term COVID who have struggled to return to work and whose lives have been cut short while the rest of us are recovering,” Hoylman said.

He added that he intends to pass the bill, which currently has no sponsor in the assembly, once state lawmakers return to Albany for their regularly scheduled session next month.

According to the law, if the bill ever goes into effect, the State Department of Labor would have one year to prepare a report on the scope of the problem and possible solutions.

“It’s about getting back on your feet and the government has a role to play in making that happen,” Hoylman said of the relief the law could bring to people suffering from long COVID.