COVID: United Airlines Joins Growing List of Bay Area Companies Issuing Vaccine Mandates
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) – The list of companies and organizations getting on board with COVID-19 vaccination requirements for employees in the Bay Area is growing.
United Airlines, which has a hub at San Francisco International Airport, announced Friday that they will require employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The policy will take effect either five weeks after the FDA fully approves a COVID-19 vaccine, or five weeks after September 20, whichever date comes first.
Frontier Airlines, which also serves the Bay Area, announced Friday that all employees should be fully vaccinated by October 1. Employees who choose not to or cannot get vaccinated will be required to submit to weekly coronavirus testing.
In San Francisco, DoorDash and the YMCA joined the growing number of companies instituting vaccination requirements, according to the Mayor London Breed's office.
The City of San Francisco recently announced it will require city employees to be vaccinated once the FDA fully approves the shots as well. However, the head of the San Francisco Deputy Sheriff's Association thinks that is a step too far.
"It's going to impact our staffing, and it's going to impact public safety even further in San Francisco," Ken Lomba told KPIX 5.
Lomba said he'd like to see employees have the choice to either get vaccinated or submit to regular testing. While he says a good portion of employees are vaccinated already, some aren't on board yet, and he fears some won't stick around.
On Thursday, the City of San Jose said it would require vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result every week from employees starting later this month. Meanwhile, the California Department of Public Health is requiring all workers in healthcare settings to be fully vaccinated or receive their second dose by September 30.
