Vaccinated warehouse workers can now work unmasked, says Amazon

Tech giant Amazon warehouse employees who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 no longer need to wear face masks at work, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The company is rolling back a mask requirement it put back into effect during the Omicron surge in December.

Last year, the mask requirement was lifted between May and August and again between November and December, until the spread of the Omicron variant spurred a change, reports The Verge.

The company also updated its rules for paid time off. Warehouse employees who receive both doses of the coronavirus vaccine by March 18, are eligible for Covid related paid leave if they contract the virus, while unvaccinated employees will lose their Covid related paid leave.

In January, Amazon shortened the required quarantine period for infected workers to five days instead of seven, in keeping with updated recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Amazon is not the only tech company to adjust and readjust its workplace rules during the pandemic, as per the report.

Meta said in January that it would require the booster vaccine for employees when they return to the office on March 28. The policy updates the previous guideline from July requiring Meta employees to be vaccinated.

Apple employees are required to show proof that they have received the vaccine and a booster (within four weeks of eligibility) before entering their workplace, the report said.

Those who can not present proof of vaccination have to show a negative antigen test before entering the workplace.

Google also requires anyone wanting to work in-office regularly to get weekly Covid tests and has asked employees to disclose their vaccination status and wear surgical-grade masks inside.