After Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed bills into law requiring companies to allow workers who agree to regular COVID-19 testing and to wear protective gear to be exempt from vaccine requirements, Disney has paused its vaccine mandate in Florida. The new bills are in contrast to Disney’s vaccine mandate it announced during the summer for all salaried and non-union employees. They were given through September 28th to meet Disney’s vaccine requirements. Disney also made a deal with union workers to be vaccinated by October 22nd.
Disney shared the news with employees via a memo that was sent out on Friday.
“We believe that our approach to mandatory vaccines has been the right one as we’ve continued to focus on the safety and well-being of our Cast Members and Guests, and at this point, more than 90 percent of active Florida-based Cast Members have already verified that they are fully vaccinated. We will address legal developments as appropriate,” Disney said in a statement Monday afternoon.
Disney went on to share that any employee that has not been vaccinated will be required to wear face coverings and observe other safety protocols, including social distancing. Disney also said that it has currently paused consideration for vaccine exemption requests. Employees who also have not finished the vaccination verification process will be considered unvaccinated for the time being.
“At this point, more than 90% of active Florida-based Cast Members have already verified that they are fully vaccinated,” Disney shared.
The new laws in Florida are in contrast to the Biden Administration’s efforts to get workers of companies with more than 100 employees vaccinated.
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