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At Delta, the surcharge is one of the many new requirements for unvaccinated workers. From now on, these employees will have to wear masks indoors. In about two weeks, they will undergo weekly coronavirus tests. Then, on September 30, unvaccinated employees will lose protections to cover wages for missed work during quarantine.
The Atlanta-based airline, its largest hub, has many employees in a state with relatively low vaccination rates. Just over half of Georgia’s adult population is fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Delta’s decision not to require the vaccine may also help him avoid criticism from conservative Georgia lawmakers, who have punished him in the past. In 2018, the state legislature voted to repeal a jet fuel tax break after Delta ended a discount for members of the National Rifle Association, but the governor subsequently ordered representatives state to stop collecting the tax, thereby restoring relief. Lawmakers threatened to start collecting it again this year after Delta opposed further voting restrictions in the state.
“This is not an empty threat,” said Charles Bullock III, professor of political science at the University of Georgia. “Doing this is probably more in line with where the Republican leadership would be,” he said of Delta’s approach to vaccination.
American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, both based in Texas, have also not required vaccines. But Chicago-based United Airlines said this month it would need vaccines starting September 27.
United chief executive Scott Kirby lamented the dozens of letters he had to write to families of employees who died from the virus. “We are determined to do everything possible to try to prevent another United family from receiving this letter,” United President Brett Hart told employees this month.
Nevada casinos are an industry that has achieved high employee vaccination rates. State regulators allowed casinos to operate at full capacity after at least 80% of employees received at least one injection of the coronavirus vaccine, a threshold reached by some large properties. Last week, MGM Resorts went further and said the Covid vaccination would be a condition of employment for all employees and new hires.
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