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List: Companies That Require Employee Coronavirus Vaccinations

The list of companies and government agencies that require coronavirus vaccinations for in-office employees continues to evolve. Moreover, many of those businesses will require contractors and consultants -- including MSPs, IT consulting firms and cybersecurity providers -- to show proof of covid-19 vaccination before permitting on-site office visits. Among the developments: President Biden on September 9, 2021, announced the following vaccination mandates, as recapped by CNBC:
  • All Federal Employees Must Be Vaccinated: Biden announced a mandate that U.S. federal employees get a Covid vaccine, with no option for regular testing, and for health-care facilities that get Medicare and Medicaid funding to have staff fully vaccinated.
  • All Federal Government Contractors Must Be Vaccinated: Biden signed an executive order extending the vaccination requirement to contractors that work with the U.S. government, impacting a total of 2.1 million employees.
  • Vaccine and Testing Mandates for Employers With 100+ Employees: Biden said that he is asking the U.S. Department of Labor to issue a rule that requires employers with more than 100 employees to mandate vaccines or require weekly testing. The requirement will impact over 80 million workers in private sector businesses with 100+ employees.
  • Update - Supreme Court Ruling: However, the Supreme Court blocked the Biden administration from enforcing its sweeping vaccine-or-test requirements for large private companies. The mandate, rejected by the Court, required workers at businesses with 100 or more employees get vaccinated or submit a negative Covid test weekly to enter the workplace. It also required unvaccinated workers to wear masks indoors at work. Source: CNBC, January 13, 2022.

COVID-19 Vaccine and Employer Mandates: The Debate

Admittedly, requiring employees to be vaccinated has stirred debate. Those who favor the requirement often position it as a public health issue -- especially as the highly contagious Delta variant rapidly spreads across the United States. Those who oppose the vaccination requirement often position it as a health, human rights, religious, or personal liberty concern -- especially since the U.S. FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has not fully approved some of the covid-19 vaccines. (Update: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine has been known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, and will now be marketed as Comirnaty (koe-mir’-na-tee), for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older.  Source: FDA, August 23, 2021.) For those navigating customer engagements, business trips and employment considerations, below is a regularly updated list of companies that require employee vaccinations for covid-19. Also: Scroll down for a list of companies that say they won't require vaccinations, and look further below for a list of businesses that have delayed their office re-openings amid the Delta variant's spread. Send Us Updates: Which companies and organizations did we miss? Please email me the details: [email protected].

Companies, Businesses, and Organizations that Require Employee COVID-19 Vaccinations or Changed Policies

A Through C...

Amazon re:Invent 2021 Conference: All badge holders at re:Invent 2021 must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to checking in at the event. Source: Amazon Web Services.
Apple: Apple will begin to force unvaccinated corporate employees to test for Covid-19 each time they want to enter an office, a move that tightens its virus protocols while still stopping short of a vaccine mandate. Source: Bloomberg, October 20, 2021.
AT&T: The company will require managers get vaccinated by October 11 to enter a work location, and AT&T will mandate face coverings for most employees nationwide. Source: The Wall Street Journal, August 12, 2021.
BlackRock: Only vaccinated workers are allowed to return to the office. Source: CNN Business, August 4, 2021.
Blackstone: The company is requiring all U.S. staff to get a COVID-19 booster shots to work in the office. Source: Bloomberg, January 13, 2022.
Boeing: Multiple updates...
  • The aerospace giant will require its 125,000 U.S. employees to be vaccinated by Dec. 8 under an executive order issued by President Joe Biden for federal contractors. Source: Reuters, October 12, 2021.
  • Boeing suspended a vaccination requirement for employees after a court blocked enforcement of an executive order by President Biden instructing federal contractors to impose such mandates. Source: The New York Times, December 17, 2021.

Boston (City of Massachusetts): All city employees need to be fully vaccinated, though the city's mayor extended the mandate's deadline twice. Source: NBC News 10, a local affiliate, January 23, 2022.
California: California is the first state to require all teachers and staff in K-12 public and private schools to get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. The new policy will affect the state's 320,000 public school teachers, more than 250,000 support staff — from cafeteria employees to cleaners — and at least 80,000 private school employees, according to the California Department of Education and labor unions. It will also apply to school volunteers. Source: The Associated Press, August 11, 2021.
Canada: Multiple updates...
  • The Canadian government will soon require all air travelers and passengers on interprovincial trains to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Source: CNBC, August 13, 2021.
  • Canada will unveil plans on October 21, 2021, for a vaccine passport, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau laying out how the proof-of-vaccination method will be implemented. Source: Vancouver Sun, October 21, 2021.

Chevron: The energy company has begun requiring some employees to receive Covid-19 vaccinations and is evaluating mandates throughout its entire workforce as the oil-and-gas industry contends with rising infections. Source: The Wall Street Journal, August 23, 2021.
Cisco Systems: The networking company has required the limited number of employees working in its offices in July 2021 and August 2021 to be fully vaccinated, guidance it will likely extend into the fall as its offices reopen more broadly. Source: The Wall Street Journal, July 30, 2021.
Citigroup: Multiple updates...
  • The investment banking giant is requiring its workers to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus before returning to the offie. A memo sent out to employees states the decision effects offices in major American cities including Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Chicago and New York City. Sources: The Hill, Bloomberg, April 10, 2021.
  • Citigroup staff in the United States who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 by January 14 will be placed on unpaid leave and fired at the end of January 2022 unless they are granted an exemption. Source: Reuters, January 7, 2022.

Cummins: The engineering company is piloting a return-to-office program with a fraction of employees and requiring those employees to be vaccinated. The company has not made a decision about vaccination requirements for their broader workforce when they return to offices. Source: Indy Star, August 12, 2021.
CVS Health Corp.: The health conglomerate mandated complete Covid-19 vaccination for its nurses, pharmacists and other employees who face patients. Source: Reuters, August 24, 2021.

D Through G...


Delta Air Lines: The airline will charge employees on the company health plan $200 a month if they fail to get vaccinated against COVID-19, a policy the airline's top executive says is necessary because the average hospital stay for the virus costs the airline $40,000. Source: The Associated Press, August 25, 2021. Department of Defense: See U.S. Department of Defense further below.
Disney: See Walt Disney Co. further below...
Eli Lilly: The drug maker will require all employees to get the COVID-19 vaccination by November 15, 2021. Source: Indy Star, August 12, 2021.
Facebook: Employees coming to work on any of its U.S. campuses would need to be vaccinated, though how the policy is implemented will depend on local regulations. In a statement, Lori Goler, a vice president of people at Facebook, said the company has a process for working with those who choose not to receive a vaccine for medical or other reasons. She added that the company will “be evaluating our approach in other regions as the situation evolves.” Source: The Wall Street Journal, July 28, 2021.
Ford Motor: The auto maker required U.S. salaried employees to be vaccinated by December 8, 2021 or possibly face unpaid leave.  The automaker sent out a message to Ford’s roughly 32,000 salaried employees about the mandate. Ford will consider religious and medical exemptions for employees who can’t get the vaccines. Source: CNBC, November 3, 2021.
General Electric: GE suspended its Covid vaccine and testing requirement after the Supreme Court blocked the Biden administration’s mandate. Source: CNBC, January 14, 2022.

Gilead Sciences Inc: The biopharmaceutical company will require all employees and contractors to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of October 1, 2021, where allowed by law and where vaccine supply is readily available. This includes all U.S. employees. Source: Gilead Sciences, August 9, 2021.


Goldman Sachs: Multiple updates...
  • The financial services company will require all people entering its offices to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Goldman said the new policy starts September 7, 2021, and applies to everybody, including employees and clients. Those who aren’t fully vaccinated by then will have to work from home. Source: CNBC, August 24, 2021.
  • Goldman Sachs will require employees and visitors to its U.S. offices receive booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine starting on February 1, 2022. And in January 2022, the bank will require staff to get tested twice weekly for COVID. Source: Reuters, December 27, 2021.

Google: CEO Sundar Pichai told employees in a note on July 28, 2021, that the Mountain View, Calif.-based company would begin requiring anyone on its U.S. campuses to be vaccinated in the coming weeks. Source: The Wall Street Journal, July 28, 2021.

H Through M...

The Hershey Company: Salaried employees at The Hershey Company who did not comply with the company’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate or receive an accommodation have been “separated from the company,” according to a Hershey spokesperson. Hershey announced a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for salary employees in August 2021 and the mandate went into effect on October 4, 2021. According to a spokesperson, a “small number” of salary employees were impacted by the policy. The company did not confirm the exact number of employees affected or where they were based. Source: WHTM, a local ABC News affiliate, February 3, 2022.
IBM: Multiple updates...
  • The technology company will allow only fully vaccinated U.S. employees to return to offices, which are set to open September 7, 2021. Source: Reuters, August 13, 2021.
  • IBM told U.S. employees this week that they must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by Dec. 8 or face an unpaid suspension. Source: CNBC, October 7, 2021.

Indiana University: The Supreme Court refused to block Indiana University's requirement that students be vaccinated against Covid-19 to attend classes in the fall 2021 semester. Source: NBC News, August 12, 2021.
Intel: Intel employees have until January 4 to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or seek an exemption. Employees who remain unvaccinated or don’t get an exemption for religious or medical reasons will be on unpaid leave beginning in April 2022. Source: US News, December 21, 2021.
Los Angeles, California: The city if Los Angeles will require employees to get vaccinated or get tested. Source: Los Angeles Times, July 27, 2021.
McDonald's: The fast-food giant told its corporate workforce that it is pushing back the reopening of its offices from September 7 to October 11, and staff to be fully vaccinated. Masks are required inside McDonald’s offices right now, regardless of vaccine status. The vaccine mandate doesn’t apply to McDonald’s restaurant-level workers. Source: CNBC, August 11, 2021.
Microsoft: The cloud and software giant will require proof of vaccination for all employees, vendors, and any guests entering Microsoft buildings in the United States, starting in September 2021. Source: The Seattle Times, August 3, 2021.
Military (U.S): See U.S. Department of Defense further below.
Morgan Stanley: Employees must get Covid-19 vaccines before returning to its New York offices. Staff were required to disclose their vaccination status to the bank by July 1, 2021. Starting July 12, 2021, employees, contingent workers, clients and visitors are required to confirm that they were vaccinated before entering Morgan Stanley buildings in New York City and Westchester County, New York. Source: The Wall Street Journal, June 23, 2021.
Continue to next page for additional company and government updates, sorted alphabetically. Here are additional company and government updates, sorted alphabetically.

N Through S...

Netflix: The streaming video company told its producers it would require everyone working in close contact with actors on U.S. Netflix productions to be vaccinated. Source: The Wall Street Journal, July 28, 2021.
New Orleans (City of): New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell has implemented a citywide COVID-19 vaccine mandate for public activities.  Residents and visitors will be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test occurring within 72 hours to enter restaurants, bars, gyms, fitness classes, pool halls, arcades, skating rinks, indoor playgrounds and entertainment spaces, certain large outdoor events and other places. Source: The Center Square, August 13, 2021.

New York City (NYC): Multiple updates

  • Public Schools: All New York City public school teachers, staffer members and contractors who work in schools will have to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. First doses must be completed by September 27, 2021. Source: AP News, August 23, 2021.
  • All City Employees: New York City will require that all of its municipal workforce get vaccinated against Covid-19, eliminating the option for testing. Unvaccinated city workers need to get their first shot by Oct. 29 or potentially lose their jobs. The new rule covers 160,500 workers, of whom about 71% are partially or fully vaccinated, according to official estimates. The city said 70% of police and 60% of fire department personnel have received at least one shot. Source: The Wall Street Journal, October 20, 2021.

New York Stock Exchange: The NYSE will require full Covid-19 vaccination for access to its trading floor as of September 13, 2021. Source: CNBC, August 11, 2021.
Pfizer: All of its U.S. workers will need to get vaccinated or undergo regular COVID-19 testing. Source: CNBC, August 4, 2021.
Qantas: The Australian airline will require vaccines for all passengers on international flights within the coming months, its CEO confirmed. Source: The Hill, September 9, 2021.
Roche Diagnostics: The medical device company is piloting a return-to-office program with a fraction of employees and requiring those employees to be vaccinated. The company has not made a decision about vaccination requirements for their broader workforce when they return to offices. Source: Indy Star, August 12, 2021.
Saks Fifth Avenue: The luxury department store chain is requiring all employees be vaccinated. Source: The New York Times, August
Salesforce: The cloud software provider is requiring employees in the office to be vaccinated, but it's allowing the majority of its global workforce to opt for remote work. Source: Indy Star, August 12, 2021.

T Through Z...

T-Mobile US: The company will fire corporate employees who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by April 2, 2022. Source: Reuters, January 29, 2022.
Tyson Foods: The meat packer said its 120,000 U.S. employees must be fully vaccinated in 2021, though some 56,000 already are, according to the company. Source: CNBC, August 3, 2021.
Uber: U.S. office staff will need to be vaccinated to return to in-person work, but drivers won't be required to have vaccinations. Source: CNBC, August 5, 2021.
United Airlines: Employees must be vaccinated five weeks after the FDA fully approves a Covid vaccine or five weeks after September 20, 2021, whichever is first. Source: CNBC, August 6, 2012.
U.S. Department of Defense: By mid-September 2021, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will request a waiver from President Joe Biden to make the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for all active military service members, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby. Source: U.S. Department of Defense, August 9, 2021.
Walgreens: Team members based in the company’s U.S. support offices are required to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 30 with any of the vaccines currently available. Team members who work in these locations who are unable to be vaccinated will be required to enroll in a COVID-19 testing program. Source: Walgreens, October 8, 2021.
Walmart: Multiple updates...
  • The retail store and e-commerce giant will require all corporate staff to be vaccinated -- but not store or warehouse workers. A statement from the company reads: "...We have made the decision to require all market, regional and divisional associates who work in multiple facilities and all campus office associates to be vaccinated by Oct. 4, unless they have an approved exception. This includes all new hires." Source: Walmart, July 30, 2021.
  • Walmart has made it mandatory for its retail workers in U.S. counties with substantial or high transmission of coronavirus to wear masks in its stores, clubs and distribution centers, according to a memo. Source: NBC News, July 30, 2021.

Walt Disney Co: The family entertainment, media and theme park giant is requiring much of its U.S. workforce to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The new Disney policy eventually could be extended to cover tens of thousands of union workers at Disney’s theme parks, including in Anaheim, California and Orlando, Florida. Source: Los Angeles Times, July 30, 2021.
Warner Media: The media and entertainment company will require salaried and non-union U.S. employees to get vaccinated before returning to work when offices reopen in September 2021. The policy will require proof of vaccination to enter a WarnerMedia office building. The policy may vary from location to location based on local laws and regulations, as well as vaccine availability. Source: Variety, August 12, 2021.
The Washington Post: The company’s publisher and CEO Fred Ryan said in a memo to employees that all new and current employees must provide proof of vaccination. Source: SI Live, August 2, 2021.
Companies That Won't Mandate Coronavirus Vaccinations: Manufacturing giants such as Caterpillar, General Electric and Snap-On won't require vaccinations. The same is true for the the big three U.S. automakers -- General Motors Company (GM), Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and Ford Motor Company (F), according to The Wall Street Journal (August 4, 2021).

Delta Variant Delays Office Re-Openings

Here are companies that have pushed back various office re-openings and in-office employee work amid the Delta variant's spread: Amazon: Multiple updates...
  • Amazon.com extended its work-from-home period to Jan. 3, 2022, from its earlier guidance of September 7, 2021 for the United States and other countries it did not name. Source: Reuters, August 5, 2021.

  • Warehouse workers will be required to wear masks. Source: NBC News, August 6, 2021.

Apple: The iPhone, Mac and Apple Watch maker delayed its return to the office from September 2021 until at least October 2021. Source: Bloomberg, July 20, 2021.
Lyft: The ride hailing service pushed back its planned office reopening to February 2022 from September 2021. Source: The New York Times, July 28, 2021.
Microsoft: Multiple updates...
  • The company delayed its return to the office by nearly a month, from September 2021 until October 4, 2021. Source: The Seattle Times, August 3, 2021.
  • Microsoft intended for U.S. workers to start the full return to their Redmond, Washington headquarters on October 4, 2021. But the software company is now delaying its return to the office indefinitely amid COVID-19 Delta variant concerns. Source: Microsoft, September 9, 2021.

Twitter: The social media network closed its offices in New York and San Francisco and paused future office re-openings, effective immediately. Source: The Wall Street Journal, July 28, 2021.
Note: Blog originally published August 8, 2021. Updated regularly thereafter.
Joe Panettieri

Joe Panettieri is co-founder & editorial director of MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E, the two leading news & analysis sites for managed service providers in the cybersecurity market.

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