Amazon orders all US employees to mask up at work

Amazon will require all of its US employees to wear a mask at work regardless of their vaccination status.

The move follows a surge in Covid-19 cases due to the highly contagious Delta variant.

The US public health agency revised its guidelines for mask wearing last month, saying that even fully vaccinated individuals should wear one in certain settings.

In a statement, Amazon said it was following the government guidance and working closely with leading medical healthcare professionals to keep workers safe.

Amazon has also postponed its return to work guidance for its corporate employees till January next year.

Other companies are taking similar measures to tighten their defenses against Covid-19.

Alphabet's Google has extended its work from home policy through to October.

Facebook requires all of its US employees to get vaccinated to step into offices.

And Twitter has said it will close workspaces it already had reopened.

According to a Reuters tally, coronavirus cases worldwide surpassed 200 million this week.

As of Thursday, US cases stood at over 35 million.