According to an internal memo, unvaccinated United Airlines employees who sought medical or religious exemptions will be permitted to return to work on Monday.

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More than 2,000 employees who have been on unpaid vacation due to an accepted request for reasonable accommodation (RAP) will be permitted to return to work, according to a memo from United Vice President of Human Resources Kirk Limacher.

Limacher stated that the carrier is confident in its capacity to safely return such employees, given a nationwide decrease in coronavirus incidences, hospitalizations, and deaths.

“As the Omicron surge shows clear signs of receding and as we’ve seen how high the protection remains for those of you who are vaccinated, we’re using that same commitment to safety and science to ensure our policies reflect the broader shift to the endemic stage of the pandemic,” Limacher stated.

Last September, around 67,000 U.S.-based employees were given a deadline to get vaccinated or risk losing their jobs – with some exceptions – as part of the airline’s complete vaccine policy.

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More than 230 employees were sacked in October 2021 after they refused to get inoculated against the virus by the carrier’s deadline.

Since the airline’s policy went into effect on Aug. 6, CEO Scott Kirby and President Brett Hart told staff in a joint memo that more than 99 percent of its U.S.-based employees, excluding those who requested accommodations, had already been vaccinated.

In a recent memo, Kirby and Hart stated that terminating unvaccinated personnel in October was a question of safety.

“Our vaccinated employees have been remarkably safe compared to our employees on an approved request for reasonable accommodation (RAP), as well as compared to the general population, since November – a time that included the record-breaking Omicron surge,” Limacher said, adding that five of the 2,200 employees who had received an exemption had died.

Limacher told employees that the company will reevaluate protocols “if another variant emerges or the COVID trends suddenly reverse course.”