The nation’s largest meat producer informed 137,000 employees Tuesday.
In a memo, Tom Brower, Tyson’s senior vice president for health and safety, stated that “starting today at some facilities team members who have been fully vaccinated may choose to remove their masks from work.” He said that masks may still be required at certain plants, depending upon local laws and U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations.
Brower said that the company required workers to be vaccinated for COVID-19 by November. This would make them “one of America’s most vaccinated workforces.” Tyson, located in Springdale, Arkansas, has more than 240 facilities. The majority are poultry processing plants.
Tyson’s decision follows recent actions by Amazon and Walmart. They no longer require fully vaccinated workers wearing masks unless they are required by state or local mandates.
Rollbacks are occurring as more U.S. States lift mask mandates, COVID-19 cases related to the Omicron variant recede.
Walmart informed its approximately 1.6 million U.S. workers on Friday that people who have been fully vaccinated will no longer need to cover their faces at Sam’s Club or Walmart locations unless it is required by law or state ordinance. Masks will be required for those who are not vaccinated, as well as those working in pharmacies or health clinics.
The memo stated that although vaccinated associates no longer have to wear a mask inside our facilities, they support and respect the individual’s decision to keep wearing one.
Walmart mandated face coverings for the first time in July 2020. The rule was dropped in May 2021 for fully vaccinated workers. In response to Omicron, Walmart reverted to its previous policy. Also, the company stated that its COVID-19 emergency policy which allows for more sick leave to cover coronavirus-related absences was ending at March 31st.
Walmart’s decision to relax its mask regulations came just days after Amazon informed fully vaccinated workers they had the option to work without covering their faces. Amazon said that the updated policy is subject to local regulations and was “based on guidance provided by public health authorities as also our own medical specialists”.
Amazon employees will no longer be eligible for paid leave due COVID-19 as of Friday. Only those who have received at least one dose COVID-19 vaccine and all others who have been fully vaccinated will be eligible, the company stated.
In August, Amazon stated that all employees in its warehouses would need to cover up regardless of whether they have been vaccinated. This policy change was made amid an influx of new infections related to the Delta variant.
In recent days multiple state governors have stated that they are eliminating mask mandates as more virus cases fall and hospitalization rates drop. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends masking indoors in high-transmission areas. This includes most countries.
