Goldman Sachs to mandate Covid vaccine for staff, visitors at US offices: memo

[NEW YORK] Goldman Sachs Group told employees that from Tuesday anyone entering its offices in the United States must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters.

The bank will also require that masks be worn in offices regardless of vaccination status from Wednesday, while fully vaccinated employees will receive weekly Covid-19 tests starting on Sept 7, the memo said.

A Goldman Sachs spokesperson confirmed the contents of the memo.

The announcement comes a day after the US Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, a certification that public health officials hope will convince unvaccinated Americans that the shot is safe and effective.

In June, Goldman was one of the earliest Wall Street banks to require that most employees return to offices, and the vaccine mandate is part of the effort to continue working at offices safely amid a resurgence in Covid cases.

Goldman's new policy is in line with rival banks Morgan Stanley and Citigroup, which also require vaccines at their US headquarters.

Three of the four largest US banks - JPMorgan Chase & Co, Bank of America and Wells Fargo & Co - do not require vaccines for individuals at their offices.

Bank of America has asked that only vaccinated employees come into its offices when it begins formally welcoming people back in September.

Covid-19 infections are increasing in the United States at an average of about 150,000 cases a day, and are currently at 60 per cent of the peak level of new daily infections reported in January, according to Reuters tracking data.

REUTERS