Delta Air Lines has updated its coronavirus guidelines for employees after initially facing a backlash for telling its flight attendants to refrain from informing colleagues if they test positive for Covid-19.

An email first obtained by the HuffPost was sent on Thursday to the airline’s 25,000 flight attendants from Delta management that informed the staff of “an established process” it would follow when alerting employees about potential infections.

“Please refrain from notifying other crew members on your own,” read the email, which was later obtained by The Independent. “Once you have completed the reporting procedures listed above, leaders will follow the established process to notify any impacted flight attendants.”

The employees were given hotline numbers to call to report diagnoses and were urged to inform plane management if time off was needed “as soon as symptoms occur”.

Also included in the email was the company telling its employees to avoid posting on any social media sites, including the airline’s own intranet service, about their diagnosis or symptoms.

“Please do not post on social media (including SkyHub) about your health status,” the email read.

One flight attendant, who asked to remain anonymous, told the HuffPost “employees have freedom of speech about their health.”

A spokesperson with Delta Air Lines sent The Independent the original guidelines that were issued to its employees on Thursday, citing a misunderstanding in “intent” as the reason confusion may have arisen between management and its staff.

“Our employee communication was designed to inform our crews so that they hear from us first, protect the confidentiality of the potential employees/customers impacted and ensure that crews receive leader support, details on available resources as well as advice on next steps,” the spokesperson said.

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Updated guidelines were then sent out to employees following the confusion.

“We take the responsibility of notifying all of our Delta people seriously and have a strong protocol in place to ensure we get in touch with anyone potentially exposed to provide support, key information and resources, and advise them on any necessary steps,” the guidelines read. “Therefore, please refrain from notifying other crew members on your own. Once you have completed the reporting procedures listed above, leaders will follow the established process to notify any impacted flight attendants.”

The new guidelines made no mention of posting information on social media.

Last week, Delta Air Lines also sparked backlash over the company allegedly telling its pilots to withhold a coronavirus diagnosis from fellow flight and cabin crew members. The information was obtained by HuffPost, which received a video from a pilots’ union discussion.

“We are aware of the video and the discussion contained within it and are monitoring - our initial read is this is not consistent with our [Centres for Disease Control and Prevention]-informed notification process,” a spokesman told the outlet.

The airline, and its competitors, has faced difficult decisions in recent months as more and more flights are cancelled amid the pandemic while a majority of Americans stay home.

To stay afloat, 35,000 employees have reportedly agreed to take unpaid time off from the Atlanta-based company, which employs about 91,000 staff.