Resorts World requiring new hires to get COVID-19 vaccination

Another Las Vegas resort is requiring COVID-19 vaccines for all newly hired employees.

Resorts World implemented a new policy that requires COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of employment for all new hires, the company said in a statement. The policy went into effect Monday.

The company said that it has been urging employees to get the vaccine voluntarily and that 78 percent of its workforce has been vaccinated so far. But the goal, the company added, is to have all employees vaccinated.

“The most effective form of protection against the virus is vaccination, and as a committed community and industry partner and employer of nearly 6,000 people, it is our responsibility to take actionable steps toward increasing vaccination rates among our workforce,” the company’s statement said.

The new policy only affects new hires, but the company said it is still exploring “effective ways to increase vaccination rates among our existing team members as we strive to achieve a fully vaccinated workforce.”

Resorts World joins a growing list of companies implementing vaccine mandates for employees.

MGM Resorts International announced a similar policy in August which requires all new hires to provide proof that they have received the vaccine. Current salaried employees for the company — approximately 6,000 nationwide — must show proof of vaccination by Oct. 15.

Last week, Westgate CEO David Siegel informed employees that they would need to show proof of vaccination to continue working for the company starting Oct. 15.

“Westgate is not the first major company to make this decision, and we will not be the last. Vaccines are the single greatest tool we have for ending this pandemic, keeping ourselves and our families safe and returning life back to normal,” Siegel wrote in a letter to employees.

President Joe Biden last week announced new mandates aimed at boosting the number of vaccinated Americans that includes a requirement for companies with more than 100 employees to mandate the vaccine or weekly tests for workers who cite religious or health reasons for not getting it. That requirement will be enacted via a new rule set to be issued in the coming weeks from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Contact Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter.