Disney to require vaccinations for all employees

The Walt Disney Company is requiring its employees to get the coronavirus vaccine within 60 days.

“We are requiring that all salaried and non-union hourly employees in the U.S. working at any of our sites be fully vaccinated,” the company said in a statement Friday.

“Employees who aren’t already vaccinated and are working on-site will have 60 days from today to complete their protocols and any employees still working from home will need to provide verification of vaccination prior to their return, with certain limited exceptions,” the statement added.

The company has begun having conversations with union leaders regarding requiring the coronavirus vaccine for union employees. 

Anyone hired after Friday will also be required to have the vaccine before starting work.

“Vaccines are the best tool we all have to help control this global pandemic and protect our employees,” the statement concluded.

The move follows Disney parks in Florida and California reimplementing an indoor mask mandate for all customers regardless of vaccination status on Wednesday.

The company reimplemented the mask mandate after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said masks should be worn by fully vaccinated people in areas with high transmission rates for the virus. 

Companies and states have begun mandating the coronavirus vaccine as the delta variant is causing another rise in cases across the country.