Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian sent a letter to the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention Tuesday asking the agency to halve its recommended
isolation time for Covid-19 breakthrough cases from 10 days to five for fully
vaccinated individuals, citing potential workforce disruptions, according to
the company.
"Our employees represent an essential workforce to
enable Americans who need to travel domestically and internationally,"
Bastian wrote to CDC director Rochelle Walensky. "With the rapid spread of
the omicron variant, the 10-day isolation for those who are fully vaccinated
may significantly impact our workforce and operations. Similar to health care,
police, fire and public transportation workforces, the omicron surge may
exacerbate shortages and create significant disruptions."
Doctors Henry Ting, Delta SVP and chief health officer, and
Carlos del Rio, medical advisor for the carrier, also signed the letter, which
noted that the current guidance was developed in 2020 "when the pandemic
was in a different phase without effective vaccines and treatments." Delta
added that more than 90 percent of its workforce is fully vaccinated, and all
airline personnel are required to mask at airports and on airplanes.
The airline also noted that "individuals would be able
to end isolation with an appropriate testing protocol."
Delta sent the letter amid the busy holiday travel season
and as Covid-19 cases are spiking again. Reports of new infections in New York were
up more than 80 percent over two weeks, and in Washington, D.C., more than
three times as many infections were being identified each day now than at the
start of December, according to The New
York Times Covid map and case count as of Dec. 22.
Still, U.S. health authorities are considering shortening
the quarantine period for asymptomatic health care workers who test positive
for Covid-19, chief White House medical advisor Anthony Fauci told MSNBC's
Andrea Mitchell on Tuesday.