The Mayo Clinic fired around 700 employees who did not comply with its COVID-19 vaccine mandate Wednesday, according to NBC News.
Employees were required to either receive their first dose or obtain a medical or religious exemption to the mandate by Jan. 3, NBC News reported. The outlet also reported that employees who had received their first dose “were also expected not to delay” their second dose.
The clinic told NBC News that 99% of their employees complied with the mandate, while the other one percent did not and would be fired as a result. The clinic said the number of employees who’d be fired for non-compliance was roughly 700. (RELATED: Will A Vaccine Mandate Trigger The Great Resignation?)
In addition, the clinic said terminated employees were invited to apply for “future job openings” should they change their minds and decide to get vaccinated.
A former clinic employee who was fired for not taking the vaccine said she applied for a religious exemption and was denied twice, according to KIMT 3 News.
The clinic’s firing of non-compliant employees follows a Dec. 20 press conference in which the Minnesota Nurses Association addressed issues with hospital staffing and retention, reported Fox News. Video of the press conference was posted to the Minnesota Nurses Association’s YouTube channel.
A group of 38 Republican lawmakers from Minnesota wrote a letter to the Mayo Clinic on Dec. 8 asking the health center to waive the vaccine mandate, according to Park Rapids Enterprise.