The Cable Network News (CNN) has announced the dismissal of three employees for entering its New York headquarters without being vaccinated for protection against the COVID-19 virus.
This was contained in a memo issued on Thursday by the CNN President, Jeff Zucker.
“In the past week, we have been made aware of three employees who were coming to the office unvaccinated,” the memo revealed as reported by LA Times.
“All three have been terminated. Let me be clear — we have a zero-tolerance policy on this. You need to be vaccinated to come to the office. And you need to be vaccinated to work in the field, with other employees, regardless of whether you enter an office or not. Period.”
The names of the dismissed employees were not revealed, according to two staffers at the WarnerMedia unit.
Vaccinated employees have been allowed to return to CNN offices on a voluntary basis. They have used the honor system to confirm their vaccination status through the company’s passcard system and have not been asked to show proof. Zucker said that may change in the weeks ahead.
Zucker also said CNN is delaying a formal return date to the office, located at Hudson Yards on the west side of Manhattan.
Employees were expected to return Sept. 7, but due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, largely caused by unvaccinated individuals, the date has been pushed to mid-October.
About a third of CNN’s news personnel are working on-site after more than a year of working remotely because of the pandemic. Employees are allowed to return to the office two weeks after completing the vaccination process.
