Fox Corp. intends to test unvaccinated employees daily for coronavirus infections, the company disclosed in a memo.
Approximately 90% of the media company’s employee base has gotten vaccinated against the contagion, according to a memo issued Tuesday by Kevin Lord, the executive who oversees human resources for Fox Corporation. The new steps come after Fox requested that employees disclose their vaccination status in a reporting system.
“We are pleased to share that more than 90% of our full-time employees reported that they are fully vaccinated. This is important information for our company to know as we continue to implement our phased return to office timing and procedures,” Lord said. “Soon we will introduce another important health and safety measure for access to our facilities – daily COVID testing for the small group of employees who are not vaccinated or have not provided their vaccination status. Additional details about this protocol will be shared with the relevant employees in the near future. We appreciate your continued cooperation as we work together in the best interests of our shared well-being.”
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All corporations have had to contend with pandemic polices, but Fox has come under more scrutiny than most because some of the hosts and contributors on its Fox News Channel have at times suggested that viewers view getting a vaccine with great skepticism. On last night’s broadcast of “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” for example, the host said coronavirus vaccines were “far less effective than we were told they were initially, potentially dangerous for some, and completely unnecessary for tens of millions of others.” And he questioned why the Biden administration was trying to make them “mandatory for virtually everyone in America. So why is that? Why exactly is that the policy?”
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Other media companies have been direct in their policies. WarnerMedia’s CNN fired three staffers in August who came into the office unvaccinated, and has told employees they must be vaccinated if they intend to come to work.
