Photo: Getty
While there are still fierce debates on whether peoplefeel the need to wear masksorget vaccinated, President Joe Bidendoubled down on his plea for Americans to get vaccinatedin an announcement he made earlier this month from the White House.
“I know there’s a lot of misinformation out there so here are the facts: If you’re vaccinated, you are highly unlikely to get COVID-19,” Biden said, adding that those who are vaccinated and get the virus will most likely only have “very mild” symptoms.
White House COVID coordinator Jeff Zients also outlined in anAug. 5 press briefingthat “Businesses know vaccinations are a way to keep their workers and customers safe, and to keep their doors open.” He shared that small businesses, universities, medical schools and “many other institutions are stepping up on vaccination requirements.”
“Across the board, we are seeing increases in cases and hospitalizations in all age groups. Those at highest risk remain people who have not yet been vaccinated,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky added. “Now is the time to get vaccinated. We know these vaccines are working and we know they save lives.”
Large companies like Google, Disney and Walmart have begun tofurther delay their return-to-office datesand mandate that employees must get fully vaccinated prior to their return.
Read on to find out which other companies are following suit:
Tyson Foods
“We did not take this decision lightly. We have spent months encouraging our team members to get vaccinated – today, under half of our team members are,” President and CEO Donnie King wrote in the post. “We take this step today because nothing is more important than our team members' health and safety, and we thank them for the work they do, every day, to help us feed this country, and our world.”
Microsoft
The tech giant told its employees on Aug. 3 that they will “require proof of vaccination for all employees, vendors, and any guests entering Microsoft buildings in the U.S.,“The Seattle Timesreported. They will also accommodate employees “who have a medical condition or other protected reason, such as religion, which prevent them from getting vaccinated” and will “adjust dates and policies as needed.”
Employees are expected to return to office on Oct. 4.
CEO of Google and AlphabetSundar Pichai announced in a blog poston July 28 that the company will require vaccines to work on campuses in the U.S., and will be expanding on their policy to other regions in the coming months. They will also be “extending our global voluntary work-from-home policy through October 18.”
“We’ll continue watching the data carefully and let you know at least 30 days in advance before transitioning into our full return to office plans,” Pichai added.
Uber and Lyft.Smith Collection/Gado/Getty
Uber
The rideshare company is requiring all corporate employees to be vaccinated, but not extending the mandate to the “over 100 million riders and drivers,“Business Insiderreported. However, both Uber drivers and passengers must continue to wear masks.
“White collar workers, you’re spending time together in an office eight hours a day, 10 hours a day,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahitold CNBC’s Squawk Box.“Based on the [Delta] variant and the health concerns there it was an easy call in terms of coming back to the office,” he said.
As of June, Uber employees have been asked to commit 50 percent of their time in an office of their choosing, instead of being limited to their pre-pandemic location, according toCNBC. The new return-to-work model is expected to start this fall.
Lyft
The company will require employees who are currently working in the office to be fully vaccinated and has moved back its return-to-office date to Feb. 2,Bloombergreported.
“We anticipate the Covid situation will remain fluid for the upcoming months,” the company wrote in an email to staff, “making it difficult for us to land a clear return date without a possibility of moving it again.”
Lyft’s offices will remain open for employees who are vaccinated and want to come in ahead of the date.
Disney
Disneyland.Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times via Getty
The Walt Disney Company will require all salaried and nonunion hourly U.S. employees to be fully vaccinated, and all unvaccinated employees who are already on-site will have 60 days to get the shots before starting work, theNew York Timesreported.
United Airlines
In early August, the airline announced it will require all 80,000 of its employees to be vaccinated.According to CNN, “Any employee who refuses to show proof of vaccination will be fired, unless they can provide proof of religious or medical reasons for not getting vaccinated.” The unions that represent the company’s employees are currently reviewing the mandate.
McDonald’s
source: people.com
