Delta Airlines announced that they will charge employees $200 per month on its health plan if they fail to get vaccinated against COVID–19.
This is a policy measure Delta CEO Ed Bastian said is necessary because the average hospital stay for the virus costs the airline $40,000.
Bastian claimed that all airline employees hospitalized for illnesses related to the virus in recent weeks were not fully vaccinated. On Wednesday, the company also announced that starting September 30th, they will stop extending pay protection to unvaccinated workers who contract COVID-19 and will require unvaccinated workers to be tested weekly beginning on Sept. 12. All unvaccinated employees will also have to wear a mask at all times in all indoor company settings.
Delta stopped short of following United Airlines‘ strategy for unvaccinated employees. United had previously announced that they would require employees to be vaccinated starting Sept. 27 or face termination.
