The Walt Disney Company is joining other large companies in requiring employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The company is requiring all salaried and non-union hourly employees in the U.S. who work on site to be fully vaccinated.
Employees who aren’t vaccinated will have 60 days to do so, and those still working from home will need to show proof of vaccination before returning.
The requirement includes workers at Disney's Orlando-area properties.
The company says it’s also in talks with local unions like UNITE HERE to get workers vaccinated as well, and all new hires will be required to be inoculated before they begin orientation.
The announcement comes days after the federal Centers for Disease Control changed course on masking guidelines. The CDC recently said it has new information showing the delta variant’s ability to spread among vaccinated people.
"The safety and well-being of our employees during the pandemic has been and continues to be a top priority,” the Walt Disney Co. said in a statement late Friday. “Vaccines are the best tool we all have to help control this global pandemic and protect our employees.”
The announcement comes as Florida reported some 15,782 new coronavirus cases a day over the past week.
WMFE's Danielle Prieur contributed to this report.
