Southwest Airlines will mandate that its employees receive a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Dallas-based airline.
Employees must be fully vaccinated before a Dec. 8 deadline if they want to remain with the company, Southwest Airlines said.
Workers can seek permission to skip the vaccine due to religious or medical exemptions, according to the airline.
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The impetus for the mandate comes from the rules handed down by President Joe Biden and his administration, the company added.
The administration ruled that all companies with federal contracts must have a vaccinated staff. Southwest Airlines’s work of moving the military in emergencies and transporting mail for the United States Postal Service requires it to be compliant, the company said.
Southwest Airlines employs at least 54,000 people.
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Other airlines, including American Airlines, United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and JetBlue, have instituted similar protocols.
