The Walt Disney Company has announced that it will be requiring all of its employees in the US to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
Per Forbes, Disney is the latest company to introduce the safety measure, which will require all salaried employees and non-union staff to be fully vaccinated. This will include any employees currently working from home.
In a statement released on Friday (July 30), the company said: "At The Walt Disney Company, the safety and well-being of our employees during the pandemic has been and continues to be a top priority.
“Toward that end, and based on the latest recommendations of scientists, health officials, and our own medical professionals that the COVID-19 vaccine provides the best protection against severe infection, we are requiring that all salaried and non-union hourly employees in the U.S. working at any of our sites be fully vaccinated."
The statement added that all non-vaccinated employees now have 60 days to receive their vaccination, or could face dismissal, Forbes reports.
The Walt Disney Company will also not hire individuals who have not received the vaccine.
No members of staff will be permitted onto any Disney site until vaccine verification has been shown.
The LA Times reports that Disney is just the latest big-name company to introduce the policy - with Google, Facebook, Netflix, and Morgan Stanley all issuing their own Covid-19 mandates.
Earlier this week, President Biden also announced that 2 million federal employees will need to receive the inoculation or continue to wear face masks, maintain a distance from other workers, and undergo regular tests.
Speaking from the White House on Thursday, Biden said: "What I’m trying to do is keep people safe."
"If, in fact, you’re unvaccinated, you present a problem to yourself, to your family and to those with whom you work," he added.
Per the LA Times, the POTUS pleaded with the American people to receive the vaccine, saying: "People are dying, and will die, who don’t have to die."
The publication adds that 90 million people who are eligible for the vaccination are yet to receive their inoculations.
Biden added during his address on Thursday: "We have the right plan. We’re coming back. We just have to stay ahead of this virus. I know this is hard to hear. I know it’s frustrating. I know it’s exhausting to think we’re still in this fight."