Tyson Foods joins major companies in requiring vaccinations for workers

Tyson Foods Inc. is the latest company in the United States to announce the requirement for workers to be vaccinated. The American multinational company that operates in the food industry joined many others in changing vaccination and facemask regulations in the workplace due to the health threats brought about by the more contagious COVID-19 Delta variant.

The increasing number of COVID-19 cases and the new advice from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that is recommending the wearing of face masks even for fully vaccinated people have led companies to think again about their current policies.

Government officials revealed earlier this week that COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths due to the disease have surged in the last week. It was added that even with the increase in vaccination rates, the uneasiness about the Delta variant remained high.

In line with this concern, Reuters reported that Tyson Foods changed its policies related to COVID-19 and is asking its workers to get vaccines. This directive is required now in the work facilities, and this is really important because the company is in the food business.

“Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is the single most effective thing we can do to protect our team members, their families, and their communities,” Tyson Foods’ chief medical officer, Dr. Claudia Coplein, said in a press release. “With rapidly rising COVID-19 case counts of contagious, dangerous variants leading to increasing rates of severe illness and hospitalization among the U.S. unvaccinated population, this is the right time to take the next step to ensure a fully vaccinated workforce.”

As per CNN Business, Tyson Foods announced to all its employees that they must be fully vaccinated by Nov. 1. Other major firms in the U.S. have also set a date for when their workers should have been inoculated already.

Most companies want their workforce to be vaccinated before the year ends. Restaurants and stores are also requiring vaccination cards to show as proof before customers can enter their respective premises.

Meanwhile, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and Morgan Stanley have implemented vaccine requirements, and workers of Gap Inc. must show proof of vaccination before they can enter the office starting Sept. 7. Major automakers, including Ford, Stellantis, and General Motors, have not yet mandated vaccinations, but they are strictly implementing the wearing of masks in offices, plants, and warehouses.