Resorts World Las Vegas has joined the list of properties requiring new employees to be vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus. Existing employees are also being encouraged to line up for the vaccine; 78 percent of its workforce has already done so.
“The most effective form of protection against the virus is vaccination, and as a committed community and industry partner and employer of nearly 6,000 people, it is our responsibility to take actionable steps toward increasing vaccination rates among our workforce,” the company said in a statement.
The new policy only affects new hires, but the company said it is still exploring “effective ways to increase vaccination rates among our existing team members as we strive to achieve a fully vaccinated workforce.”
Resorts World joins a growing list of companies implementing vaccine mandates for employees. MGM Resorts International announced a similar policy in August which requires all new hires to provide proof that they have received the vaccine. Current salaried employees for the company — approximately 6,000 nationwide — must show proof of vaccination by October 15, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Earlier this month, Westgate CEO David Siegel informed employees that they would need to show proof of vaccination to continue working for the company starting October 15.
“Westgate is not the first major company to make this decision, and we will not be the last. Vaccines are the single greatest tool we have for ending this pandemic, keeping ourselves and our families safe and returning life back to normal,” Siegel wrote in a letter to employees.
President Joe Biden recently laid out new mandates requiring companies with more than 100 employees to mandate the vaccine or require weekly tests for workers. That requirement will be enacted via a new rule set to be issued in the coming weeks from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
In related news, most employees of the Las Vegas Convention Center have been vaccinated against Covid-19. LVCVA President and CEO Steve Hill reported that 73 percent of 330 full-time employees got the jab under a new employment requirement announced September 1.
