Flight attendants fume as CDC gives airlines what they want on quarantine change
Just days before the CDC announced the change, the airline industry united to press for a shortened quarantine timeframe.
A union for flight attendants is accusing the CDC of loosening rules for quarantine after Covid-19 exposure at the behest of the airline industry, as the Omicron variant continues to rage across the globe.
“We said we wanted to hear from medical professionals on the best guidance for quarantine, not from corporate America advocating for a shortened period due to staffing shortages,” said Association of Flight Attendants-CWA International President Sara Nelson following the CDC announcement shortening the recommended quarantine duration from 10 days to five days.
“The CDC gave a medical explanation about why the agency has decided to reduce the quarantine requirements from 10 to five days, but the fact that it aligns with the number of days pushed by corporate America is less than reassuring,” Nelson said.
And, just days before the CDC announced the change, the airline industry united to press for a shortened quarantine timeframe, saying a 10-day isolation requirement may “exacerbate personnel shortages and create significant disruptions to our workforce and operations.” Indeed, U.S. airlines have had a raft of flight cancellations as the busy holiday travel season crashed into the rise of the virulent Omicron variant.
“As an industry, we stand ready to partner with the CDC to make scientifically sound policy decisions and work with you to collect empirical data necessary to appropriately monitor any guideline modifications,” Airlines for America President and CEO Nicholas Calio said in a letter addressed to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.
Delta Air Lines, the first to request the change to a five-day quarantine period, also noted that current guidance “was developed in 2020 when the pandemic was in a different phase without effective vaccines and treatments.”
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Flight attendants are fuming after the CDC shortened its recommended quarantine time from 10 days to five days. They're accusing the agency of loosening rules to give the airline industry what it wants amid staffing shortages.
https://t.co/fhdhjbyCHQ— POLITICO (@politico) December 28, 2021
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