Delta Airlines has asked the government to reduce the 10-day quarantine period for vaccinated employees, warning that the company will otherwise face a shortage of workers during the busy travel season.
In a letter to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief Rochelle Wallensky, Delta’s Chief Executive Ed Bastian argued that the government guidelines for quarantine periods should be shortened to five days for vaccinated employees, instead of the current ten-day period. Bastian added that airline employees are considered part of the essential workforce.
“This guidance was developed in 2020 when the pandemic was in a different phase without effective vaccines and treatments,” Bastian’s letter stated.
Bastian explained that the rapid spread of the latest Omicron COVID-19 variant combined with the 10-day isolation period “may significantly impact our operations and workforce.”
As the newest variant quickly spreads throughout the country with a 25 to 50 percent greater infection rate than previous strains of the virus, the airline CEO suggested that Delta would “partner” with the CDC to gather data on breakthrough cases if the guidance is changed.
