Morgan Stanley bans unvaccinated staff and clients from NY offices

Staff and clients of Wall Street behemoth Morgan Stanley who are not fully vaccinated against COVID will be banned from entering the company’s New York offices, according to an internal memo from the bank.

The policy comes into effect next week, as part of the company’s drive to allow the lifting of other COVID-mitigation rules.

Unvaccinated employees will be required to work remotely, according to a person familiar with the matter, cited by the BBC.

According to a memo circulated internally: “Starting 12th July all employees, contingent workforce, clients and visitors will be required to attest to being fully vaccinated to access Morgan Stanley buildings in New York City and Westchester”.

The measure comes as New York state reached an impressive latest milestone in its vaccination drive, having last week given the first dose of the vaccine to nearly 70 per cent of adults.

Morgan Stanley’s rule also raises a contentious issue, of whether one’s employer is able to mandate them being vaccinated.

In Malta, the issue has been discussed by the Malta Employers Association (MEA), which stopped short of saying that employees could be forced to have the vaccine, but stated that “persons who, without a valid reason, refuse to take the vaccine should not be entitled to quarantine leave”.

Additionally, it recommended that a “green passport” is created to allow employers to find out whether their staff have been vaccinated or not, “in the interest of the welfare of all employees”.

In many of the world’s most respected employers, the issue of returning to the office and employee vaccinations has been addressed.

A memo by Goldman Sachs, also reported on by the BBC, strongly encouraged staff to get vaccinated, although also stopped short of insisting they had the jab.

In December, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal agency, confirmed it would be permitted for firms to bar unvaccinated staff from workplaces, subject to exceptions for a religious and medical reason.

More recently, in a landmark case at a federal District Court in Texas, a case challenging a hospital’s mandatory COVID vaccination policy for staff was dismissed, in the first US court opinion addressing the ability of employers to require staff to be vaccinated.

The court concluded that whilst the plaintiffs could “freely choose to accept or refuse a COVID-19 vaccine”, if they refuse, they “will simply need to work somewhere else”.