Only fully vaccinated Amazon workers will be able to remove their masks at work and take paid leave if they catch Covid-19, the company announced on Thursday.
Amazon employees have been given until March 18 to get vaccinated against the coronavirus with at least two shots if they want to retain coronavirus-related paid leave. From Friday, the vaccinated will also be able to take off their masks in the company’s warehouses.
In a memo to staff, Amazon justified the changes by noting that “there has been a sharp decline in Covid-19 cases across the country over the past weeks,” which, along with high vaccination rates, is a “positive sign we can return to the path to normal operations.”
Amazon has so far required employees to wear masks, practice social distancing, and undergo temperature checks as part of its effort to stop the spread of Covid-19.
Last month, however, Amazon shortened its Covid-19 paid time off policy for both vaccinated and unvaccinated employees to just one week. Prior to the change, employees were given 10 days of paid time off and prior to that, they were given two weeks.