Walt Disney World has paused its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for workers in Orlando.
The Disney change in Orlando follows Governor Ron DeSantis signing special legislation that prevents employers from imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates and gives employees the ability to select an exemption or opt for periodic testing or the use of personal protective equipment.
“Nobody should lose their job due to heavy-handed COVID mandates and we had a responsibility to protect the livelihoods of the people of Florida,” DeSantis said.
Under the new Florida legislation, employers who violate these employee health protections will be fined. Medium and big businesses will face $50,000 per employee violation.
A Disney spokesperson told NPR the company believes its “approach to mandatory vaccines has been the right one as we’ve continued to focus on the safety and well-being of our Cast Members and Guests.”
However, because of Florida Governor DeSantis, the company has changed the policy. The company did report that more than 90% of Disney’s Florida-based employees have verified that they’re fully vaccinated.
