Masks no longer required in Amazon warehouses

Company says policy change is ‘exciting step in our path to normal operations’

Amazon has ended its mask mandate for staff in its US warehouses regardless of an employee’s vaccination status in those states where local legislation don’t require face coverings to be worn.

The policy change, which went into effect on Tuesday 1 March, was communicated over the weekend in an internal memo sent to staff, CNN Business reported.

Amazon said in the memo that it was an “exciting step in our path to normal operations”. The company said the new policy was in response to new guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which states that most Americans live in areas where they don’t have to wear masks indoors if they are healthy.

According to CNN, Amazon said the memo was authentic but didn’t offer additional comments.

Amazon has worked to hire a large number of new employees since the beginning of the pandemic as demand has risen but the company has faced criticism and scrutiny of its safety measures.

The company lifted its mask mandate for its fully vaccinated staff in late May, but have reinstated the policy several times as new Covid-19 variants had led to higher case numbers.

Last month, Amazon lifted its mask mandate again for the fully vaccinated where local rules allowed for the policy change. Now that policy will apply to all staff, including the partially- and unvaccinated.

Amazon said in the memo that anyone who wants to continue wearing a mask will be allowed to do so and that they “strongly recommend” that those who are not fully vaccinated continue wearing masks in the company’s warehouses.

Other companies have also lifted their mask mandates. Target went ahead with the move before the CDC guidance, announcing last week that staff and customers don’t have to wear masks where local rules allow it.

“With current high levels of vaccination and high levels of population immunity from both vaccination and infections, the risk of medically significant disease, hospitalization, and death from Covid-19 is greatly reduced for most people,” the CDC said in updated guidance on 25 February.