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Amazon drops mask requirement for fully vaccinated employees

Virus Outbreak
Posted at 5:53 PM, Feb 15, 2022
and last updated 2022-02-15 17:53:46-05

Amazon has reportedly dropped its mask mandate for fully vaccinated warehouse employees.

According to CNN, workers received a memo about the change in policy last week.

There are some exceptions to the rule. Fully vaccinated workers still have to wear a mask if local regulations require indoor face coverings, according to CNN.

Amazon reinstated its mask mandate in December as the COVID-19 omicron variant began rapidly spreading across the U.S.

In addition to the new mask policy, CNN reports that Amazon announced a new COVID-19 paid leave policy.

Starting March 18, only fully vaccinated workers will be eligible to receive COVID-19 paid leave, CNN reports. The network says unvaccinated Amazon employees can still take up to a week of unpaid leave to quarantine.

Amazon is the second-largest employer in the U.S.

Walmart is the largest employer in the country. It also recently ended its mask requirementfor vaccinated workers.