United Airlines will allow unvaccinated staff to return to work this month

United Airlines changed its stance and will now be allowing employees to return to work even if they have not yet received their COVID-19 vaccine. They are expected to be back to their jobs starting March 28.

According to CNBC, United Airlines said that since the number of COVID-19 cases has drastically dived, it decided to let unvaccinated workers return. It was noted that this is a big shift from the air carrier as it is actually one of the companies that have implemented the strictest regulations when it comes to inoculation.

In fact, United Airlines announced in August of last year that it will require all of its employees in the United States to be vaccinated. If they cannot present proof of inoculation, they will automatically face the prospect of being terminated.

With that announcement, more than 96% of the company’s around 67,000 staff have gone to get their vaccine. Earlier this year, the airline’s chief executive officer, Scott Kirby, said that despite the surge of cases due to the omicron variant, they did not have any deaths among the unvaccinated group.

Most of those who were not vaccinated are workers who were granted exemptions for medical or religious reasons. United Airlines have about 2,200 workers who are under this category. Then again, the company previously fired some 200 employees, who were not exempted, for not being vaccinated.

“A drop in new Covid cases, hospitalizations and loosening of masking requirements in many cities suggest that the pandemic is beginning to meaningfully recede,” CNBC quoted United Airlines’ vice president of human resource services, Kirk Limacher, as saying in a memo to employees. “As a result, we are confident we can safely begin the process of returning staff with exemptions back to their jobs. Of course, if another variant emerges or the COVID trends suddenly reverse course, we will reevaluate the appropriate safety protocols at that time.”

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the decision allows workers who have valid exemptions from the company’s vaccination requirement to return from their unpaid leave. Those who are from the non-customer-facing roles will also be permitted to apply as an alternative to their regular jobs.