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News24 reports that after months of enforcing Covid-19 vaccination mandates in the workplace, some companies are starting to relax their requirements for employees.
Many companies imposed mandatory vaccination last year and employees who did not want to be vaccinated had to produce negative antigen tests. Now, Woolworths and Dis-Chem have changed their policies. In a letter to employees, Woolworths said that, from 9 May, the company would "no longer limit the entrance to our workplaces to either vaccinated persons or those presenting a negative antigen test". The company also said it would, from 1 June, increase to three the number of times employees needed to come into the office in a week. It stressed that wearing a mask indoors and social distancing were still mandatory. A Woolworths spokesperson said their approach to managing Covid-19 has always been guided by science and government regulations and, with over 70% vaccinated across the company, “we believe it is the correct shift to make at this time and have thus adapted our position accordingly.” In a letter dated 24 May, Dis-Chem said that, from 1 June, it would no longer implement the mandatory vaccination policy. Dis-Chem's HR director, Caryn Eliasov-Barker, said the company decided to suspend the policy after the government ended the national state of disaster. She said while vaccination was no longer mandatory, the company still encouraged all staff members to get vaccinated.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tebogo Monama at News24 (subscriber access only)
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