Amazon will no longer require vaccinated workers to wear masks at work

By Jordan Valinsky, CNN Business

Amazon is lifting a mask mandate for fully vaccinated warehouse workers beginning Tuesday.

Vaccinated Amazon workers will no longer have to wear a face covering in the warehouse unless a federal, state or local law requires it. In a statement, Amazon said it continues to evaluate Covid-19 safety measures and is making adjustments with public health authorities and its own medical experts to “prioritize the health and safety of employees.”

Amazon reinstated a mask mandate for its US warehouse employees in August as the Delta variant led to a spike in Covid cases across the world. The company had previously relaxed its mask requirement in May for fully vaccinated US warehouse workers, at least in areas where local regulations did not continue to require them.

More recently, Amazon said it would stop offering on-site Covid-19 testing by the end of July, citing the wide availability of testing and vaccines.

Amazon’s business boomed during the pandemic as households and companies leaned on its various services. But the company was criticized early on in the pandemic after some workers said the company had not provided sufficient protective gear or adequately sanitized its warehouses, leading to protests and lawsuits.

— CNN Business’ Brian Fung contributed to this report.

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