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Delta Air Lines is in hot water (again). This time its for sending an email out to employees telling its flight attendants to not post on social media or even tell their fellow crew members if they get sick during the pandemic.
That’s right. If any of their flight attendants are diagnosed with the coronavirus, Delta Air Lines wants them to “refrain from notifying” fellow crew members or posting about their health on social media, according to an email obtained by the Huffington Post.
The email, sent Thursday afternoon to more than 25,000 flight attendants, stated that Delta management will “follow an established process” to alert co-workers who recently came in contact with flight attendants who “are symptomatic or diagnosed with COVID-19,” the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus.
“Please refrain from notifying other crew members on your own,” read the email, which was sent at 2:20 p.m. Eastern time. “Once you have completed the reporting procedures listed above, leaders will follow the established process to notify any impacted flight attendants.”
The email adds, “Please do not post on social media (including SkyHub) about your health status.”
Our number one priority is always the safety of our customers and employees. Here are some ways we're supporting healthy flying. A thread.
— Delta (@Delta) March 15, 2020
One Delta flight attendant, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told HuffPost, “Employees have freedom of speech about their health. No employer can take that away. We have a responsibility to take care of ourselves, our coworkers and everyone we come in contact with.”
HuffPost also obtained audio of a voicemail in which an employee at Delta’s Atlanta headquarters tells a flight attendant that they may have been exposed to the virus, but “we have evaluated your level of exposure, and because of this, you may continue to fly while self-monitoring for symptoms for 14 days.”
Our close relationship with the CDC ensures we are taking all necessary precautions for healthy flying. All of Delta’s health and safety processes meet the high standards of this organization, and many exceed them.
— Delta (@Delta) March 15, 2020
Delta spokesperson Morgan Durrant told HuffPost that it was not their “intent to cause confusion among flight attendants” and that there are “no plans to penalize anyone” who doesn’t follow the company’s directives.
Earlier this month, Delta Air Lines was also under fire for a leaked video which showed a Delta Air Lines executive directing their pilots who test positive for the coronavirus to withhold the diagnosis from flight attendants and other co-workers.
In the now deleted YouTube video, pilots were told “it’s not your job to go telling people that you were infected.”
A spokesman told HuffPost that they were “aware of the video and the discussion contained within it and are monitoring.”
Related: Controversial Documentary Exposes The Truth About The Toxic Chemicals We Breathe When We Fly