The situation with COVID-19 has been changing and developing over the past few months in the U.S. and around the world.

Mask Sign

We’ve seen mask requirements change, COVID-19 vaccines get approved for more age groups, and more. Not too long ago, Disney announced that it would be requiring all salaried and non-union hourly Cast Members to get the COVID-19 vaccine by a certain date. Disney’s CEO, Bob Chapek, recently spoke to one news source about COVID-19 and made a statement as to the Company’s overall position regarding the vaccine requirement for its employees.

In an interview with CNBC’s “Mad Money” host, Jim Cramer, Disney’s CEO, Bob Chapek, discussed various matters related to the theme parks and COVID-19. During the interview, Cramer asked Chapek about the COVID-19 vaccine requirement for Disney employees.

In discussing the vaccine requirement for Cast Members, Chapek said “We believe that vaccinations are the key to really mitigating the impact of this pandemic, and we here at Disney don’t control what the rest of the world does, but we do have a quarter of a million Cast Members that we’d love to see vaccinated.” Chapek continued, noting that “We think we owe it to them, being in the public eye, but we also owe it to our guests at the same time.”

Bob Chapek at the Opening of Avengers Campus ©Disney

Cramer asked Chapek whether Disney would be willing to fire workers who do not meet the deadline. In response Chapek said, “We believe what we’d like to do is convince them that it’s in everyone’s best interest in order to get vaccinated for the greater good…and the greater good includes our guests…It goes back to that contract that we have with our guests, that we’ll operate responsibly.”

Health & Safety Reminders

Disney’s vaccine requirement for its Cast Members was announced back on July 30th. At the time, Disney’s notice said that employees that were not already vaccinated and working on-site would have 60 days to complete their protocols.

We’ll continue to keep an eye out for more updates.

Click here to see more about a ruling from a judge about requiring COVID-19 vaccination proof for cruises leaving out of Florida.