Delta is working to adopt the new COVID-19 isolation guide issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Dec. 27, 2021. These recommendations shorten the recommended time for isolation from 10 days to five days for people with COVID-19, if they are asymptomatic, followed by five days of wearing a face mask when in close proximity to others.
The updated guide allows Delta greater flexibility in scheduling crews and employees to better accommodate a busy travel season and a sustained return of customers back to travel.
Customers traveling must also comply with the CDC’s new isolation guidelines and wear face masks. Delta agents will be prepared to assist customers at check-in; the new guidance will be reflected in updated language on Delta.com, the Fly Delta app, check-in kiosks, and other customer-facing channels in the coming days.
«This is a safe, science-based, and more practical approach based on what we now know about the Omicron variant,» said Dr. Henry Ting, Delta’s Chief Health Officer. «This new variant has quickly replaced B.1.617.2 as the dominant variant in the U.S. While omicron is highly contagious, we are learning that it also involves a shorter duration of illness and a shorter contagious period compared to previous strains.»
Delta CEO Ed Bastian, Dr. Ting, and the airline’s medical advisor, Dr. Carlos Del Rio of Emory University School of Medicine, signed a letter to the CDC last Dec. 21 asking the agency to reconsider its current isolation guidelines for COVID-19, shortening the isolation period to five days.
