US$200 a Month Charged By Delta Airlines For unvaccinated employees

While insurers are prohibited from charging higher premiums to unvaccinated people, employers themselves can

The unfortunately named Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) is to slap a US$200 monthly surcharge on employees who have not been inoculated against the COVID-10 coronavirus.

The US airline said it would only pay sick pay to employees who have gone down with the virus if they have been double-jabbed.

The airline’s boss, Ed Bastian, sent a memo to staff outlining the new rules for staff members who have enrolled in the company’s healthcare plan.

In the US, the average hospital stay for someone suffering from COVID-19 would cost the company US$50,000, which Bastian said was untenable.

From 30 September, Delta intends to make all unvaccinated staff take weekly COVID-19 tests and wear masks on (indoor) Delta premises.

The exorbitant cost of healthcare in the US has prompted many US companies to go down a similar route to Delta, even Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS), the US investment bank where many employees aspire to be richer than Croesus.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) announced this week that all employees, clients and visitors to its offices would need to prove they had been double-jabbed before being allowed on the premises.

The bank also plans to bring in mandatory coronavirus testing for staff on a once-a-week basis.