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Amazon lifts mask mandates for vaccinated warehouse employees

Amazon lifts mask mandates for vaccinated warehouse employees

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Fully vaccinated warehouse workers won’t have to wear masks starting Tuesday

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An illustration of the Amazon logo on the top of a building.
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Amazon is lifting its mask mandate for fully vaccinated warehouse workers in the US (via CNBC). The company reportedly sent out a notice to operations employees, stating that vaccinated workers are no longer required to wear masks starting November 2nd. Masks will still be required if state or local laws mandate them, however.

Amazon will continue to evaluate its COVID-19 safety measures

“Vaccines are universally available across the US, and vaccination rates continue to rise, which enables the ability to return to our previous mask policy,” the notice reads (via CNBC). An Amazon spokesperson confirmed to The Verge that the company will be lifting its mask mandates for vaccinated employees.

“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the health and safety of our employees has been our number one priority. Starting Tuesday, November 2, fully vaccinated US field Operations employees will no longer be required to wear face coverings at work, unless otherwise mandated by federal, state, or local regulations,” an Amazon spokesperson told The Verge. “We continue to evaluate all of our temporary COVID-19 safety measures, making adjustments in alignment with public health authority guidance and our own medical experts to prioritize the health and safety of employees.”

In August, Amazon reinstated its mask mandate policy for both vaccinated and unvaccinated employees in response to an uptick in COVID-19 cases. This came shortly after Amazon stopped requiring facial coverings for vaccinated workers in May. It appears that Amazon is slowly relaxing its safety guidelines for workers as vaccines become available to nearly everyone, including children. Amazon discontinued its onsite COVID-19 testing in July, and its corporate workers will return to the office in early 2022.

Update, 8:30 AM ET: Added a statement from an Amazon spokesperson.