Washington Post to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for reporters and staff

Graham Holdings

27/07/2021 23:50

By Danielle Kaye
    July 27 (Reuters) - All Washington Post employees will be
required to present proof of full COVID-19 vaccination by
mid-September as a condition of employment, with exceptions for
medical and religious concerns,     Publisher Fred Ryan
announced on Tuesday in a memo to staff.
    The paper's new vaccination policy comes amid an uptick in
COVID-19 cases in the United States attributed to the highly
contagious Delta variant.
    U.S. companies are navigating how and when to reopen offices
amid the spread of the variant. Apple  AAPL.O  announced last
week that the company is delaying its office reopening until
October - a month later than planned - as cases surge.
    The newspaper, owned by billionaire businessman Jeff Bezos,
plans to reopen its offices for all employees for three days per
week on Sept. 13, and employees must show vaccination proof by
then, Ryan said.
    Contractors and guests who enter the Washington Post's
offices will also be required to show proof of vaccination.
    "Even though the overwhelming majority of Post employees
have already provided proof of vaccination, I do not take this
decision lightly," Ryan said in the memo.
    "However, in considering the serious health issues and
genuine safety concerns of so many Post employees, I believe the
plan is the right one."

 (Reporting by Danielle Kaye in New York; editing by Peter
Henderson and Sandra Maler)
 ((danielle.kaye@thomsonreuters.com;))