United Airlines workers with vaccine exemptions can return to their regular jobs.

United Airways, which was one of many first main companies to mandate vaccination in opposition to the coronavirus, will enable employees who have been granted non secular or medical exemptions from receiving a shot to return to their jobs on the finish of this month.

About 2,200 United staff obtained exemptions final 12 months. They have been positioned on unpaid depart or have been moved to roles that didn’t contain in-person contact with clients. These staff will have the ability to return to their regular positions on March 28.

“We anticipate Covid case counts, hospitalizations and deaths to proceed to say no nationally over the following few weeks, and, accordingly, we plan to welcome again these staff,” Kirk Limacher, United’s vice chairman for human sources, stated in a observe to staff on Thursday.

The airline’s plans have been reported earlier by The Wall Avenue Journal.

United introduced its vaccine mandate in early August, one of many first main companies to take action. By October, practically the entire airline’s 67,000 staff had been inoculated in one of many largest and most profitable company vaccination efforts on the time. About 200 staff have been later fired for failing to adjust to the coverage, and all new hires are required to be vaccinated.

Because the starting of the pandemic, Scott Kirby, the airline’s chief govt, had written letters to the households of staff who had died from the virus, a observe that he as soon as described as “the worst factor that I consider I’ll ever do in my profession.” Because the Delta variant started its unfold over the summer season, he determined to do one thing about it.

“We concluded sufficient is sufficient,” he stated in an interview with The New York Occasions final 12 months. “Persons are dying, and we will do one thing to cease that.”

In January, Mr. Kirby stated the vaccine mandate had saved the lives of an estimated eight to 10 United staff since late September. In his observe on Thursday, Mr. Limacher stated vaccinated staff have been “remarkably secure” in contrast with those that had been accredited for an exemption, 5 of whom had died since November.

The nation is easing pandemic restrictions because the Omicron virus wave recedes. If a brand new variant emerges or case counts rise once more, the airline could regulate course, Mr. Limacher stated.