The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States revised its recommendation to isolate people for five days after a COVID-19 infection, rather than ten.
A CVS spokesperson stated that the company provides five days of paid leave for eligible full- and part-time employees, unless state or city paid leave laws provide for more.
The company also stated that paid leave is only available to employees who have been vaccinated, who have been approved for a reasonable accommodation, or who are otherwise covered by local laws.
Walgreens stated that it is providing COVID-19 paid leave benefits to employees for five days and will continue to provide the same benefit for five days after February 23 to those who are fully vaccinated and test positive for COVID-19.
Previously, both companies offered up to two weeks of paid leave.
Unvaccinated employees with an approved medical or religious exemption will continue to be eligible for the paid leave benefit, according to the company.
Walmart announced last week that employees in the United States will receive one week of paid leave instead of two if they require isolation or have tested positive for COVID-19.
Given the shorter period of isolation, Amazon stated that employees infected with the virus can receive up to 40 hours of paid leave.