Amazon says fully vaccinated workers can skip face masks

They initially let vaccinated employees go maskless in the spring, but changed course in August

Amazon.com Inc. is relaxing its mask-wearing rules for U.S. employees, letting those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 work in its warehouses without a face covering.

The online shopping giant, which has about one million employees in the U.S., had let vaccinated employees go maskless in the spring, but changed course in August as the highly transmissible Delta variant spread.

shopper browsing Amazon website

Browsing the Amazon webpage on an ipad (iStock / iStock)

Amazon told employees they could ditch their masks if they are fully vaccinated starting Nov. 2, unless federal, state, or local laws say otherwise.

"Vaccines are universally available across the U.S. and vaccination rates continue to rise which enables the ability to return to our previous mask policy," the company told workers in a message. The news was first reported by CNBC.

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The labor group that did not secure enough votes from Amazon.com Inc warehouse workers in Alabama to form a union said on Monday the hearing on its objections to the election is set to start on May 7, citing a government filing. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matt (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File / AP Newsroom)

Amazon, the second-largest private employer in the U.S. after retailer Walmart Inc., hasn’t mandated that workers be vaccinated. Those who want to go without a mask have to show proof of vaccination.

Around 69.6% of the U.S. adult population is fully vaccinated against Covid-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

FILE PHOTO: The logo of Amazon is pictured inside the company's office in Bengaluru, India, April 20, 2018. REUTERS/Abhishek N. Chinnappa/File Photo (Reuters Photos)