The flight attendant union says that the change was not driven by health safety, but by the Centers for Disease Control.
Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants-CWA, criticized the CDC for reducing its recommended COVID-19 isolation period.
Nelson said that they wanted to hear from medical professionals on the best guidance for quark, not from corporate America advocating for a shortened period due to staffing shortages. The CDC gave a medical explanation about why the agency decided to reduce the requirements from 10 to five days, but the fact that it is in line with corporate America is not reassuring.
Nelson's remarks were not immediately responded to by the CDC. According to the CDC, the change in requirements was driven by the understanding that COVID-19 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, which is typically one to two days before symptoms start and two to three days after.
The five-day guidelines apply to people who test positive but are not showing symptoms. The agency recommends that people wear a mask for another five days after the isolation period. Nelson said that airlines need to explain how they plan to implement the new guidelines to ensure employees wear masks at all times and only people who are symptom free come back to work.
Delta Air Lines sent a letter to the CDC last Tuesday requesting that the recommendation to five days be changed. The letter was signed by Delta's senior vice president and chief health officer Henry Ting, Delta's medical advisor Carlos del Rio, and Delta's CEO Ed Bastian.
"Our employees are an essential workforce to enable Americans who need to travel domestically and internationally," wrote Bastian in the letter. With the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, the 10-day isolation for those who are fully vaccine free may have a significant impact on our workforce and operations.
Nelson told CNN that the change was made at the request of Delta Air Lines because they may face staffing shortages over the holidays. Delta, which does not have a flight attendant union, did not negotiate incentive pay for their employees.
Delta has always put the health and safety of its people and customers ahead of all else, which includes our industry-leading cleaning practices throughout the Pandemic and blocking middle seats for sale for more than a year," a Delta spokesman told Insider. The recent change in CDC guidance is supported by us. Delta has and continues to follow the CDC's science-backed approach and any statement to the contrary is meaningless.
