Southwest Airlines has said that it will allow its unvaccinated employees to work even beyond the early December deadline and will not put them on unpaid leave. However, the airline has said that they will have to apply for an exemption on religious or medical reasons. Some of the federal contractors that include some of the big airlines in the United States are facing a deadline of December 8, 2021 for the employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Brandy King, the spokesperson from Southwest said that the employees will have to submit a proof that they have received the vaccines or will have to file for a request for exemption from vaccination before November 24, 2021. The spokesperson added that the employees whose requests have not been processed or approved beyond December 8, 2021 will be allowed to keep working. The recent statement from the company has come after it backed out from its earlier statement that claimed that the company would be sending the unvaccinated employees on unpaid leaves.
King also said that the airline intends to grant all the valid requests and in case the event is not granted, the company wishes to provide adequate time for the employees to get vaccinated while they are still able to continue work while following all the safety protocols. The delay in the deadline was notified to the employees on October 15, 2021.
On the other hand American Airline has said that the employees who have been granted exemption from the vaccination will have to wear a face mask and will also have to undergo regular tests. But the airline is still working on more details. Matt Miller, the spokesman of American Airline said that the company will not be placing any of the employees on paid leave, as a part of the federal vaccine mandate. The Republican governor of Texas, has ordered that the businesses will not have to require the employees or customers to be vaccinated.
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