Delta imposes $200 fee on unvaccinated staff

Delta, America’s third largest airline is imposing a $200 monthly fee on all staffers who remain unvaccinated against COVID-19.

The airline will also pay those on sick leave with COVID only if they have been fully vaccinated. With this measure they hope to curb the spread of the Delta variant (Uhm. Yeah…) and this move is also hoping to get all staff members fully vaccinated as soon as possible because no one wants the thorough profiling along with the extra taxes on them.

The fee will be effective from November 01, and will apply to the staff in its healthcare insurance program, which supposedly holds a grand majority of them.

“Beginning Nov. 1, unvaccinated employees enrolled in Delta’s account-based healthcare plan will be subject to a $200 monthly surcharge. The average hospital stay for COVID-19 has cost Delta $50,000 per person. This surcharge will be necessary to address the financial risk the decision to not vaccinate is creating for our company. In recent weeks since the rise of the B.1.617.2 variant, all Delta employees who have been hospitalized with COVID were not fully vaccinated,” said Ed Bastian’s statement released by Delta.

Apart from that, all unvaccinated employees will be required to wear masks in all indoor Delta settings.

“Effective immediately, unvaccinated employees are required to wear masks in all indoor Delta settings. This requirement will remain in place until community case rates stabilize,” it added.

Employees will also be required to take COVID tests each week if they are not vaccinated.

“Starting Sept. 12, any US employee who is not fully vaccinated will be required to take a COVID test each week while community case rates are high. Those with a positive result will need to isolate and remain out of the workplace,” it further added.

COVID pay protection won’t apply to unvaccinated employees according to the statement and will only be provided to fully vaccinated staffers.

“Effective Sept. 30, in compliance with state and local laws, COVID pay protection will only be provided to fully vaccinated individuals who are experiencing a breakthrough infection,” it announced.