After delaying the return of office workers to the face-to-face environment of the new year for one day, Amazon has issued new mask guidelines for its warehouse workers as concerns about the spread of COVID-19 variants continue to affect workplace decisions.
Amazon told hundreds of thousands of workers in its fulfillment facilities on Friday that they should wear masks to work again regardless of whether they have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
“In response to the spread of the new COVID-19 variant in the United States and the guidance of public health authorities and our own medical experts, we require that we wear masks indoors regardless of the vaccination situation,” said Kelly Nantel, Amazon’s national media relations director. In a statement to GeekWire.
On Thursday, Amazon told its company and technical employees that the date to resume normal office work is now January 3, 2022, four months later than the previous target for the week of September 7.
The tech giant did not implement a vaccination program for those working in the office like companies such as Microsoft, Google and Facebook. Amazon said it requires employees to wear masks in the office, except for those who can confirm that they have been fully vaccinated.
More than a year after Amazon turned its warehouse into a showcase of the COVID safety measures it was implementing (such as on-site testing, temperature checks, signage, endless hand sanitizer, cameras for measuring social distance, cleaning, etc.), Amazon has already started to Relax some of the processes.
Natel stated that the company will continue to “follow local government guidance and work closely with leading healthcare professionals.”