Amazingly enough, scientists were able to create a vaccine to combat the COVID-19 pandemic within a year. And 70% of Americans have received at least one of their shots.
But there is a large group of people who have chosen not to get inoculated. Vaccinations have become a culture war issue with many in right wing media urging hesitancy against the shot.
Consequences are coming for those who choose not to protect themselves and others. In some instances, it might cost them their jobs. CNN’s chief Jeff Zucker recently fired three employees who wouldn’t get vaxed.
An internal email sent by Zucker read:
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“Thus far, we have left proof of vaccination to an honor system. While we have asked for attestation to your status via Passcard, it has not be mandatory to produce a vaccine card. 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. You need to be vaccinated to come to the office. And you need to be vaccinated to work in the field, with other employees, regardless of whether you enter an office or not. Period. We expect that in the weeks ahead, showing proof of vaccination may become a formal part of the WarnerMedia Passcard process. Regardless, our expectations remain in place.”
More from Jeff Zucker memo to CNN staff: pic.twitter.com/KDhh6sPpZM
— Michael M. Grynbaum (@grynbaum) August 5, 2021
Todd Neikirk is a New Jersey based politics and technology writer. His work has been featured in psfk.com, foxsports.com and hillreporter.com. He enjoys sports, politics, comic books and spending time at the shore with his family.
