The Disney World Resort has put a hold on its COVID-19 vaccine protocol for employees, a Disney spokesman said on Saturday.
The only part of Disney that backtracks on the company-wide vaccine policy is the resort in Florida. The policy made COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for all on-site employees in the US, as cases of the Delta variant began rising in the summer.
"We believe that our approach to mandatory vaccines has been the right one as we have continued to focus on the safety and well-being of our Cast Members and Guests," the spokesman said in an email.
The spokesman said that more than 90% of cast members have verified their vaccinations. According to NPR, Walt Disney World has 77,000 employees.
Disney did not respond to Insider's request for comment.
Florida is the first state in the country to impose fines on businesses and hospitals for not having the vaccine.
The Biden administration updated its guidelines for the COVID vaccine earlier this month, requiring millions of workers in industries to be fully vaccined against the coronaviruses or have regular COVID testing starting January 4. The mandate was blocked by a federal court.
The implications of a COVID vaccine requirement for workers in the midst of labor shortages and supply chain issues were discussed by executives from the Disney Company at a meeting with White House officials.
The rate of vaccinations began to decrease as of publication, with the number of COVID cases in the US increasing gradually since the end of October.
