Delta Targets Virus Tests for All Employees in Next Four Weeks

(Bloomberg) -- Delta Air Lines Inc. is stepping up efforts to help customers and employees feel safe with plans to expand worker testing for the novel coronavirus and extend face-mask requirements through the end of the year.

A program with Quest Diagnostics and the Mayo Clinic will “test virtually all employees in the next four weeks,” Delta said in a statement Thursday, outlining one of the more ambitious plans in corporate America. The carrier also told employees it would introduce at-home testing in the viral hot spots of Florida and Texas, as well as for workers based outside the company’s hubs.

“By testing 100% of our people, we’re establishing a baseline that helps us make critical decisions to protect everyone’s health and safety -- our employees and our customers,” Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian said in a memo. Delta began testing employees last month.

U.S. airlines are bolstering their efforts to counter the virus’s spread as they attempt to win back more customers after an unprecedented collapse in flying because of the pandemic. Like Delta, United Airlines Holdings Inc., Southwest Airlines Co. and American Airlines Group Inc. are also toughening their requirements for customers to wear masks.

Delta said it would require customers to don face coverings through the end of the year. The carrier also reiterated that it will block middle seats beyond September in an effort to provide passengers with greater space in aircraft cabins.

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