Workers who were granted religious or medical exemptions will be allowed to return to their jobs at the end of the month, thanks to United Airlines, one of the first businesses to mandate vaccine against the coronaviruses.
Last year, about 2,200 United employees received exemptions. They were put on leave or moved to roles that did not involve in-person contact with customers. On March 28, those employees will be able to return to their normal jobs.
We expect Covid case counts, hospitalizations and deaths to continue to decline nationally over the next few weeks, and we plan to welcome back those employees.
The airline's plans were reported by The Wall Street Journal.
One of the first major corporations to mandate a vaccine was United. By October, nearly all of the airline's 67,000 employees had been inoculated. 200 employees were fired for failing to comply with the policy, and all new hires are required to be vaccinations.
Scott Kirby, the airline's chief executive, had written letters to the families of employees who had died from the virus, a practice that he once described as the worst thing he had ever done.
In an interview with The New York Times last year, he said that people are dying and we can do something to stop it.
Mr. Kirby said in January that the vaccine mandate had saved the lives of eight to 10 United employees. In his note on Thursday, Mr. Limacher said that employees who had been approved for an exemption were less safe than those who had not.
As the Omicron virus wave fades, the nation is easing restrictions. The airline may change course if a new variant emerges.
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