Morgan Stanley to require Covid-19 vaccines at New York offices

NEW YORK: Morgan Stanley will require employees, visitors and clients to be vaccinated to enter its buildings in the New York metropolitan area, a source told AFP Wednesday.

Starting July 12, staff of the investment bank and others wishing to enter buildings in New York City and in nearby Westchester County will be required to attest to being fully vaccinated, said a person familiar with the policy.

The policy will operate on an honorary system and people will not be required to prove vaccination status, the person said.

The move comes as large companies grapple with new challenges as the economy reopens and employees return to the office after working from home during the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Companies have been reluctant to probe employees' vaccination status, even though US government officials have said it is legal to do so.

At Morgan Stanley, staff will be required to report their vaccination status by July 1. That disclosure is currently voluntary.

The shift will enable Morgan Stanley to lift rules that require unvaccinated staff to wear a mask and follow social distancing protocols. The policy means unvaccinated staff will need to work remotely, the source told AFP.

The investment bank's chief executive, James Gorman, said at a conference on June 14 that "well over 90 percent" of employees are now vaccinated.

The company will take a "nuanced" approach given that the situation on the ground varies worldwide as far as the spread of the virus and vaccine availability. In New York, where vaccines are "ubiquitous," the company expects workers to get shots, Gorman said.

"If you can go to a restaurant in New York City, you can come into the office and we want you in the office," he said.