Amazon workers who contract COVID-19 will now get less paid leave

• Amazon reduced its paid time off policy for employees with COVID-19 from 10 to seven days. 
• The company said the change follows revised CDC guidelines, The Hill reported. 
• The CDC recently said those who test positive can isolate for five days if they’re asymptomatic. 

Amazon has shortened its paid leave for COVID-19 quarantine from 10 to seven days, several outlets reported. 

The company sent an email to staff on Friday and said the policy will go into effect immediately, Reuters reported. 

“Do not come to work if you are sick,” the message, seen by Reuters said. “Additional leave options are available for individuals who remain symptomatic beyond one week.”

The change follows recently revised guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that cuts back isolation time for people who are asymptotic from 10 to five days.

“Throughout the past two years, we have consistently based our response to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the advice of our own medical experts,” the announcement said, according to the Hill. 

The policy comes as cases spike across the US due to the Omicron variant. The daily average of cases as of Friday was 648,211, according to data from The New York Times.

The CDC guidance triggered pushback from scientists and citizens who were concerned it would lead to more cases. 

The agency said the guidance applied to people who were no longer symptomatic five days after they’ve been exposed or first showed symptoms. Additionally, those individuals would still need to wear a mask around others for an additional five days. 

Amazon did not respond to Insider’s request for comment at the time of publication.