JPMorgan Chase will make all US employees wear masks indoors - even if they're vaccinated
To combat surging cases of the Delta variant of COVID-19, JPMorgan Chase will now require all in-office employees in the US to wear masks.
- JPMorgan Chase will require all US employees to wear a mask in their offices - regardless of their vaccination status.
- The bank is heeding guidance from the CDC, which now recommends vaccinated people wear masks in areas of high COVID-19 spread.
- Unvaccinated staff members will be required to take rapid COVID tests twice weekly.
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JPMorgan Chase will enforce a mask mandate for its US-based employees, the bank announced in a memo to its staffers on Friday, according to Reuters.
Masks will be required in all indoor and common areas within the company's US offices, whether employees are vaccinated or not, Reuters reported.
The bank is following guidance from the CDC, which now recommends all people - both vaccinated and unvaccinated - should mask up while indoors in areas where COVID-19 is spreading.
Going forward, only those at JPMorgan Chase who have been vaccinated will be permitted to attend large company gatherings with more than 25 people, according to Reuters.
As for the unvaccinated employees heading into the office, regular COVID-19 tests will be required, Reuters said. Rapid tests will be administered to unvaccinated workers twice weekly.
"Given that the CDC has stated more than 80% of counties across the U.S. have substantial or high community transmission rates, we will follow this guidance nationally for the time being," the investment company said in the memo.
The banking giant called most of its employees back to the office in July, according to the Wall Street Journal. Despite the new mask mandate, JPMorgan Chase has not indicated whether it will have its workers begin working from home anytime soon.
COVID-19 cases, fueled by the highly transmissible Delta variant, are rising across the US as vaccine hesitancy and misinformation are hampering public health officials' attempts to battle the pandemic.