sky

Delta has updated its policies for workers who get sick with the coronavirus, soon after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shortened its recommended isolation period for Americans infected with Covid-19. Delta was one of the first companies to adapt to the updated guidance, which it had publicly called on the CDC to do. The Biden administration and major companies have said shortening the isolation period will help keep society functioning, but unions have worried it could allow companies to pressure employees to come back to work. The airline’s new policy, dated Tuesday, provides five days of paid leave for workers who test positive for the coronavirus to isolate, according to an internal communication to company leaders. And it encourages, but does not require, a Covid test to go back to work, going a step further than the C.D.C. guidance, which does not include a recommendation for additional testing. Delta’s new protocols make no mention of whether returning employees should have improving symptoms, as suggested by the CDC. Many airlines have had to cancel a spate of flights during the busy holiday travel season, blaming staff shortages caused by a spike in infections. Delta and other airlines asked the C.D.C. last week to update its isolation recommendations, which some public health officials said were outdated. Delta warned that the 10-day isolation period that the CDC put in place last year could “significantly impact” its operations as the Omicron variant of the virus rapidly spreads, and it suggested a five-day isolation period with an “appropriate testing protocol.” A spokesman for the airline said Delta is “strongly recommending our people get tested prior to returning to work, regardless of symptoms (or absence of).” He did not say whether the airline would request to see the results of any test. Delta requires all employees to wear masks in work areas, in airports and on flights.<br/>

Korean Air Lines said Wednesday it has been ordered by Chinese authorities to temporarily suspend its flights to Shenyang over novel coronavirus infections found among passengers aboard its plane that landed there earlier this month. Eight Chinese passengers aboard the Korean Air flight that departed from Incheon International Airport on Dec. 17 tested positive for COVID-19 after they landed in Shenyang, northeast China, according to the company. China imposes a two-week ban on an airline's route if five or more passengers on a plane operating that path test positive for COVID-19 upon arrival. Due to the regulation, Korean Air said its flights connecting Incheon and Shenyang will not be available on Jan. 7 and 14. The air carrier flies to Shenyang once a week. Korean Air was also ordered to suspend its Incheon-Tianjin route, which was given to the airline by the Chinese authorities as an "incentive route" following its virus-free record in the past. Its service to Tianjin will not be available from next Tuesday, according to the air carrier.<br/>