Southwest Airlines pauses employee contact tracing due to the surge in COVID-19 cases
The airline has halted its workplace contact tracing initiative for employees who test positive for COVID-19.
In a memo to staff obtained by TPG, Southwest Airlines indicated that the rise in cases fueled by the omicron variant has rendered contact tracing less effective and harder to manage as employee cases increase, reflecting trends in the wider community. The airline announced a temporary suspension of the contact tracing program.
According to CDC guidelines, fully vaccinated individuals who have received a booster shot do not need to isolate after close contact with someone infected with the virus. The CDC recommends testing after five days and wearing a mask around others for at least 10 days.
The airline also announced a reduction in the isolation period for employees who test positive for COVID-19 from 10 days to five, provided they have been fever-free for 24 hours, in line with the updated CDC guidance from last month.
It remains unclear if any other major airlines have paused their contact tracing efforts, though American Airlines confirmed to TPG that it continues to notify employees about close contacts with coworkers who have tested positive.
The move to suspend contact tracing coincides with airlines facing staffing shortages due to a significant rise in COVID-19 cases among their workforce.
During the holiday travel season, airlines canceled around 20,000 flights as staffing shortages worsened by severe winter weather at major airports nationwide.
In the lead-up to Christmas, Delta, JetBlue, and the U.S. airline trade organization Airlines for America urged the CDC to revise its isolation guidelines for those affected by COVID.
Southwest has been heavily affected by staff shortages and weather-related disruptions since New Year's Eve, with 3,788 flights canceled between December 31 and January 7, according to FlightAware, amounting to about 15% of its planned flights.
By 10:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, Southwest had canceled 320 flights, accounting for 10% of its scheduled flights for the day.
The airline also announced in the memo that it would provide five days of isolation pay for employees who test positive, including those who are unvaccinated, reversing a previous policy that limited this benefit to vaccinated staff. The memo additionally urged employees to stay home if they exhibit COVID-19 symptoms.
Southwest has not yet responded to a request for comment.
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