Delta to require all new hires to be vaccinated against COVID-19

ATLANTA — All new Delta employees will now be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before being hired, the company announced Thursday.

The Atlanta-based air line company did not reference whether or not they will be requiring current employees to be vaccinated, but complimented their employees saying they have made “great progress to achieve herd immunity within our workforce.”

A spokesperson for Delta Air Lines released a statement Thursday evening saying,

We know that vaccines are the best tool we have to protect one another and bring an end to the pandemic. Delta people have made great progress to achieve herd immunity within our workforce, so to help us maintain that trajectory, we will be requiring all new hires in the U.S. to be vaccinated against COVID-19 unless they qualify for an accommodation. This is an important move to protect our workforce and our customers as our business recovers and demand for air travel continues to rise.

—  Delta Air Lines Spokesperson Elizabeth Ninomiya

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This announcement comes after the CDC made changes to its mask guidelines for those who have been vaccinated, stating that it is no longer necessary for them to continuing wearing masks inside or outside.

A Delta spokesperson told Channel 2 Action News the air line company will continue to require masks.

“The CDC’s update today calls out air travel specifically as an area where they recommend masks. There is also a federal mandate from the TSA that masks be worn in airports and on commercial flights that runs through September,” said spokesperson Morgan Durrant.

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Delta Air Lines is the largest employer in Atlanta.

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