Amazon Shortens Its Covid-19 Isolation Period for Workers

Amazon.com Inc. AMZN -0.43% is reducing how long its U.S.-based workers must isolate after testing positive for Covid-19 after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently shortened its quarantine guidance for people infected with the virus.

The online retail giant said in a memo to employees Friday that those with positive tests can return to work after isolating for seven days. That is a longer period than the one recommended by the CDC, which reduced its isolation guidance from 10 days to five. The agency also recommends that people should wear a mask for another five days after isolating.

The company said in its memo that it has based its pandemic response decisions on CDC guidance and the advice of its own medical experts but didn’t elaborate on why it opted for seven days instead of five. Company employees who isolate have access to up to 40 hours of paid leave.

Amazon isn’t requiring workers to show a negative Covid-19 test before returning to work, matching the protocol set by the CDC, which faced public pressure to add such a standard but this week declined to add that to its guidance.

Amazon is the nation’s second-largest private employer, one whose every move labor researchers and executives across the country watch closely. It employs almost a million people in the U.S., most at its hundreds of warehouses.

Many companies have embraced the CDC’s shortened isolation guidance as Covid-19 cases surge throughout the country, driven largely by the highly contagious Omicron variant and affecting staff levels across industries. So far, Amazon has indicated its operations haven’t seen major disruptions, though Covid-19 cases are expected to continue rising this month.

Scientists are using automation, real-time analysis and pooling data from around the world to rapidly identify and understand new coronavirus variants before the next one spreads widely. Photo Illustration: Sharon Shi

Amazon might have more flexibility than other employers thanks to the temporary workers it added to meet higher demand during the holiday season, which recently concluded. The company typically reduces its staff around this time of year, and in the past it has even offered some workers money to quit in an effort to shrink its total head count.

The online retailer is distinct in that it employs both corporate tech workers and hourly warehouse staffers. Its protocols have evolved as the threat of the virus has shifted for many Americans and as health protocols have changed.

In December, Amazon again began requiring warehouse employees to wear masks regardless of vaccination status, walking back a pre-Omicron policy that had permitted vaccinated workers to go maskless. At its corporate offices, unvaccinated employees have been required to wear masks. Amazon in October said it would allow company directors to decide whether their teams need to work from the office, shifting from earlier guidance suggesting all employees work on site at least three days a week.

Amazon has directed an array of resources toward responding to the health crisis but continues to face complaints from some employees that conditions in its warehouses are unsafe, which the company denies. It was early to send employees home and set up Covid-19 testing labs in its facilities.

Lately its focus has emphasized vaccines. The company has hosted on-site vaccination events in states including Missouri, Nevada and Kansas, and it said in October that it would spend $4 billion during the last three months of 2021 to limit disruptions throughout its package delivery network.