Updated Jan 8, 2022 - Health

Amazon cuts COVID-19 leave time for U.S. employees

Erin Doherty

A sign is seen outside of an Amazon Go store at the Amazon.com Inc. headquarters on May 20, 2021 in Seattle, Washington — A sign outside an Amazon Go store at the Amazon.com Inc. headquarters on May 20 in Seattle. Photo: David Ryder/Getty Images

Amazon on Friday cut its paid leave policy for employees infected with COVID-19 from 10 days to 7 following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's change in quarantine guidance.

Driving the news: The new policy is effective immediately and applies to all U.S. employees, regardless of vaccination status, according to a memo sent to employees, which was viewed by Axios.

"Additional leave options are available for individuals who remain symptomatic beyond one week," the company said.

What they're saying: "Throughout the past two years, we have consistently based our response to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the advice of our own medical experts," the company said.

"After reviewing the newly released guidance from the CDC, we are updating Amazon's COVID-19 isolation and quarantine policy."

The big picture: The change in guidance comes less than two weeks after the CDC shortened its recommended isolation time for people who test positive for COVID-19 from 10 days to five days if they're asymptomatic.

Many companies and universities have adopted the new guidance as a surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant is raising concerns over labor shortages.
Walmart announced Wednesday that it was cutting leave related to COVID-19 in half, CNBC reports.

Go deeper: CDC director: New K-12 isolation guidance will help keep schools open

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Amazon cuts COVID-19 leave time for U.S. employees

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