Walmart mandates vaccines for all corporate employees
Walmart is requiring all US-based corporate employees to be vaccinated by October 4, according to a Friday memo from Doug McMillon, the company's president and CEO.
The company has been gradually having workers come back to the office, and plans to be "closer to pre-pandemic levels after Labor Day." It will continue monitoring pandemic conditions before determining if that timeline needs to be altered, McMillon said in the memo.
In an earlier Friday memo, Walmart announced that all employees are required to wear masks inside again, regardless of vaccination status, in places with "substantial or high transmission." The new policy is effective immediately, the nation's largest retailer said Friday.
Store managers will receive local updates every Monday to determine their facility's necessary protocol.
Customers will not be required to wear masks, but they will be strongly encouraged, and facilities will post signs to remind them of the CDC's new guidelines.
While Walmart (WMT) is not mandating that store employees get vaccinated, it will soon implement a new process to verify their vaccine status, and is strongly encouraging workers to get vaccinated. As part of its push for vaccination, the company is offering employees the chance to get vaccinated while on the clock and up to three days paid leave for any reaction to the shot.
Additionally, Walmart is doubling its current vaccine incentive to $150. Originally, the company was offering employees $75 to get vaccinated. Current employees who get vaccinated and new employees who were vaccinated before they started at Walmart are all eligible to receive the bonus.
The decision to reinstate a mask mandate comes following updated guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released on Tuesday, recommending that fully vaccinated people resume wearing masks indoors in areas with high transmission rates of Covid-19. That currently includes nearly two-thirds of all US counties.
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