Walmart (WMT) amended its Covid-19 policy for US workers on Friday, removing the mask requirement and the Covid-19 sick leave policy, according to a document obtained by CNN Business.
The revisions were revealed as other US states, ranging from New York to California, announced their own intentions to ease indoor mask regulations as Omicron cases fall.
Unless needed by state or local governments, fully vaccinated Walmart employees will no longer be forced to wear masks. Employees who have not been vaccinated and those who work in clinical care environments, such as pharmacies, must continue to wear them.
Walmart is also discontinuing a sick pay policy it implemented for Covid-19, which provided workers with additional paid time off in addition to sick leave. Unless the state or local government need it, the emergency leave provision will be phased out in March.
Daily health tests are also being phased away, with the exception of employees in California, New York, and Virginia, where they are required by law.
The company’s policy change was originally revealed by the Wall Street Journal.
Following a relaxation of mask regulations for vaccinated staff in the spring, the business reintroduced them in July as the Delta variant’s cases increased. In December, it reintroduced mask restrictions as the number of Covid cases increased due to the Omicron strain outbreak. In 2020, Walmart, which employs 1.6 million workers in the United States, became one of the first big shops to require masks.
Amazon also said earlier this week that it was reducing its mask regulations for fully vaccinated staff, and that masks would no longer be required inside warehouses, as well as restricting Covid-19 paid leave for unvaccinated employees.
