(Reuters) – Delta Air Lines Chief Executive Ed Bastian on Tuesday asked the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to shrink quarantine guidelines for fully vaccinated individuals who experience breakthrough COVID-19 infections, citing the impact on the carrier’s workforce.
Bastian, along with the company’s chief health officer and a medical adviser, in a letter to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky asked that the agency’s recommended quarantine period for anyone who tests positive with a breakthrough COVID-19 infection be reduced from the current 10 days to five days. The letter suggested that individuals could end isolation with appropriate testing.
“With the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, the 10-day isolation for those who are fully vaccinated may significantly impact our workforce and operations,” Bastian wrote. “Similar to healthcare, police, fire, and public transportation workforces, the Omicron surge may exacerbate shortages and create significant disruptions.”
The CDC declined to comment.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler)
