Delta Air Lines updated its policies for workers who get sick with the coronaviruses after the CDC shortened the recommended isolation period for Americans with Covid-19.
Delta was one of the first companies to adapt to the updated guidance, which it had publicly called on the C.D.C. to do. The Biden administration and major companies have said shortening the isolation period will help keep society functioning, but unions are worried it could allow companies to pressure employees to come back to work.
According to an internal communication to company leaders obtained by The New York Times, the airline has a new policy that provides five days of paid leave for workers who test positive for the coronaviruses. It encourages, but does not require, a Covid test to go back to work, going a step further than the C.D.C. guidance, which does not include a recommendation for additional testing. The C.D.C. suggests that returning employees should have better symptoms, but Delta does not mention it in their new protocols.
Many airlines have had to cancel flights due to staff shortages caused by a spike in infections. Delta and other airlines asked the C.D.C. to update its isolation recommendations, which some public health officials said were outdated. The 10-day isolation period put in place by the C.D.C. last year could affect Delta's operations as the Omicron variant of the virus rapidly spreads, and it suggested a five-day isolation period with an appropriate testing protocol.
The spokesman for the airline said that Delta recommends that its employees get tested before returning to work, regardless of symptoms. He didn't say if the airline would want to see the test results. All Delta employees are required to wear masks.
If an employee tests positive for Covid at the end of the initial isolation period, Delta will extend its five days of paid time off by two more days. 10 days of paid leave was previously offered for Covid workers.
The airline put in place new guidelines for workers who are exposed to Covid for long periods of time without the protection of masks. New parameters outlined by the C.D.C. are echoed by the guidelines. Those who have recently received a booster shot do not need to be kept indoors. Those who have not beenvaccinated or have received their primary shots before should be put under observation for five days.
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The U.S. record for daily coronaviruses cases has been broken as two highly contagious versions have spread across the country. On Tuesday, the seven-day average of U.S. cases topped 267,000.
The C.D.C. reduced the time that certain Americans must stay home from 10 to five days. The change only applies to those without symptoms or who have other symptoms improving.
97 percent of Delta's work force is vaccine-free. Delta has decided to charge unvaccinated workers an additional $200 a month to remain on the company's health plan.
The C.D.C. decided to shorten the isolation period without a requirement for testing. The Association of Flight Attendants wants airlines to require a negative test for employees at the end of a five-day isolation period. Unvaccinated workers should be required to abide by a 10-day isolation period, and employees should be provided with high-quality masks for at least five days after returning to work.
