Disney Pauses Worker Vaccine Mandate After Florida’s Ban

Nov. 22, 2021 -- The Walt Disney Company has paused its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees astatine its taxable parks successful Florida aft authorities lawmakers banned employers from requiring workers to get vaccinated.

Walt Disney World could person faced fines nether the policy, a institution spokesperson told The New York Times. The Biden medication has ordered vaccinations for workers successful ample companies, but Florida and different states person challenged the mandate successful court.

The Florida legislature passed a measure blocking COVID-19 vaccine mandates, and Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into instrumentality connected Thursday. The caller regularisation was promoted arsenic an effort to support workers who could suffer their jobs.

“Nobody should suffer their occupation owed to heavy-handed COVID mandates, and we had a work to support the livelihoods of the radical of Florida,” DeSantis said in a statement.

The Florida instrumentality prevents employers from enforcing strict vaccine mandates and allows employees to petition exemptions owed to wellness oregon spiritual concerns, a erstwhile coronavirus infection, oregon gestation oregon anticipated pregnancy. The instrumentality besides says unvaccinated workers tin get regular investigating oregon deterioration protective equipment.

The fines for violating the prohibition could beryllium $10,000 per time per each worker usurpation for businesses with less than 99 employees. For larger businesses, fines could beryllium up to $50,000 per worker violation.

In August, Disney World reached a woody with employees to necessitate taxable parkland workers to beryllium afloat vaccinated against the coronavirus to support their jobs. The institution defended that regularisation again connected Saturday, the Times reported.

“We judge that our attack to mandatory vaccines has been the close 1 arsenic we’ve continued to absorption connected the information and well-being of our formed members and guests,” the institution said.

More than 90% of progressive formed members successful Florida person verified that they are afloat vaccinated, the paper reported. The Walt Disney Company said the intermission volition stay successful effect portion the institution assesses the caller authorities law, according to an interior memo obtained by FOX 35 News successful Orlando.

Florida-based formed members and employees who haven’t verified their vaccination presumption volition beryllium required to travel information protocols for unvaccinated people, including look coverings and carnal distancing, the interior memo said.

The institution besides encourages guests to travel information protocols by wearing look coverings, checking for symptoms, and getting vaccinated.

“We promote radical to get vaccinated,” the institution said.