By Danielle Kaye
(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 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)
