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Delta Airlines asked the government to reduce the 10-day quarantine time for vaccinated employees, warning that the airline will otherwise face a shortage of workers.
In a Dec. 21 letter to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief Rochelle Wallensky, Delta’s Chief Executive Ed Bastian argued that the government guidelines for quarantine time should be shortened to five days for vaccinated employees, adding 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,” according to the letter.
Bastian said the rapid spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant combined with the 10-day isolation period “may significantly impact our operations and workforce.”
As Omicron quickly spreads throughout the country with a 25 to 50 percent greater infection rate than previous iterations of the virus, Bastian suggested that Delta would “partner” with the CDC to gather data on breakthrough cases, if the guidance is changed.
Abut 90 percent of Delta’s employees are vaccinated, Bastian said.
Other airline executives came under fire this month for suggesting to Congress that mask mandates on airplanes are unnecessary.
“I think the case is very strong that masks don’t add much, if anything, in the air cabin environment,” the CEO of Southwest Airlines, Gary Kelly, told lawmakers on Dec. 15. “It is very safe and very high quality compared to any other indoor setting.”
American Airlines Chief Executive Doug Parker said he agreed with Kelly.
Shortly after the congressional hearing, Kelly tested positive for the COVID, a spokesperson for the airline confirmed.
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