McDonald’s to Require Covid Vaccinations for Corporate Workers

(Bloomberg) -- McDonald’s Corp. is requiring all of its corporate employees in the U.S. to be vaccinated before they return to the office, joining the growing ranks of major companies imposing strict requirements to combat the spread of Covid-19.

The fast-food chain also postponed the reopening date for its offices by about a month to Oct. 11, according to an internal note obtained by Bloomberg News. Staffers must be fully vaccinated by Sept. 27 to ensure they have built up immunity for the recommended 14 days before returning, the company said. Masks are required in offices regardless of vaccination status.

The vaccination requirement also affects suppliers and contractors who visit corporate offices, but it doesn’t extend to restaurant workers. The company didn’t immediately clarify whether unvaccinated staffers would be fired or allowed to continue working remotely.

A recent resurgence in the coronavirus caused by the more infectious delta variant “has many of us uneasy,” Heidi Capozzi, the company’s global chief people officer, said in the note. “We’ve heard from many of you that you would feel more comfortable returning to the office if you had more certainty your colleagues were vaccinated.”

The announcement follows similar steps by Citigroup Inc. and Microsoft Corp. to require worker vaccinations, a legal but sometimes controversial step seen by many public health officials as necessary to fight the renewed spread of coronavirus.

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