Amazon to allow work without face masks, require vax for paid COVID leave
FILE PHOTO: Signage is seen at an Amazon facility in Bethpage on Long Island in New York, U.S., March 17, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo
Amazon.com Inc on Thursday informed staff at its U.S. warehouses and logistics sites that they must report being fully vaccinated by March 18 if they wish to receive paid leave due to COVID-19.
The company also said fully vaccinated operations staff could work without a face covering starting Friday as local regulations allow, according to a staff message that Amazon shared with Reuters.
The online retailer attributed its policy updates to a recent decline in coronavirus cases across the United States, increasing rates of vaccination, and guidance from its medical experts and public health authorities.
Amazon said its paid leave change does not regard workers who have received a religious or medical accommodation.
“This is a positive sign we can return to the path to normal operations,” the company’s message said.
Amazon is America’s second-biggest private employer and had a full and part-time headcount greater than 1.6 million worldwide as of December 31.
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