CNN fired three employees who came to the office unvaccinated, according to the network’s senior media reporter, Oliver Darcy.
CNN President Jeff Zucker sent a memo to office staff Thursday that said the network had discovered three employees who had been coming to the office unvaccinated, and terminated all three of them. The portion of the memo that was posted by Darcy did not disclose how staff discovered that the employees had not been vaccinated, but clarified that CNN has “a zero-tolerance policy on this.”
Jeff Zucker adds in his memo to CNN staff: “In the past week, we have been made aware of three employees who were coming to the office unvaccinated. All three have been terminated. Let me be clear — we have a zero-tolerance policy on this.”
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) August 5, 2021
Zucker also said in the memo that the plan to return to the office Sept. 7 had been postponed to mid-October. (RELATED: Cuomo Calls On Private Businesses To Implement Vaccine Mandates, Ban Unvaccinated Customers)
“This was not an easy decision, and there is much to consider,” the memo said, according to Darcy.
“I think it is fair to say that we are all feeling a mix of anticipation, anxiety, frustration, confusion, and exasperation … I get it,” Zucker added. “Continue to take care of yourselves and each other. And I will share more updates just as soon as we have them.”
CNN had mandated vaccination for all employees in order to return to American offices, but had been relying on an honor system rather than requiring all employees to provide proof, according to The New York Times. The memo, a copy of which was obtained by the Times, said that the network is considering implementing a formal requirement to show proof of vaccination.
CNN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.