Automakers are beginning to loosen their mask policies for vaccinated office and factory workers in a signal that working life could soon return to pre-pandemic norms as more people across the nation get their shots.
To the extent that some employees remain reluctant or unwilling to get immunized — or don't want to share that information — these facilities will have to operate with bifurcated sets of rules based on workers' vaccination status.
Toyota Motor North America last week said it would allow some of its U.S. manufacturing and office employees to work without a mask beginning next month if they provide proof of vaccination and wear a company-issued lanyard or wristband, depending on location.
The policy covers a sizable portion of Toyota's U.S. operations. It will apply Monday, July 5, to powertrain component facilities in Missouri and Tennessee and July 12 to Toyota's headquarters in Plano, Texas, as well as the Indiana and Kentucky assembly complexes.
For office staff, a return to the workplace — including headquarters — is not yet mandatory. For those who wish to do so without a mask, Toyota said its procedure will include signing a consent form that allows the company to confirm an employee's vaccination information.
Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, said having a visual signal such as like a lanyard or wristband that identifies verified vaccinated employees who aren't masked has several advantages.
"It's a way to show off your vaccine status, which most vaccinated people don't have a problem doing, at least if you look at [social media]," he said. "If you're a company with a high rate of vaccinated employees, I think you ought to advertise that to the general public. I think the general public should reward companies that are being very aggressive in getting their employees vaccinated."
Similar policies are in place at Nissan North America and Mercedes-Benz USA facilities in the U.S. as well as Hyundai's North American headquarters and Volvo Motor Car's factory. Most office staff at Volvo, General Motors and Ford Motor Co. continue to work remotely.
Hyundai is beginning a "phased return to office"at its headquarters in Fountain Valley, Calif., with 15 percent of employees expected to return beginning Thursday, July 1. At its main office, workers who provide proof of vaccination would no longer be required to wear a mask. But the requirements are different at the automaker's assembly plant in Alabama, where it "is still evaluating the timing of when vaccinated team members will not be required to wear masks." Hyundai said it will have a policy in place by the time factory workers return July 12 from a planned maintenance shutdown.
Each factory and office is facing a different situation influenced largely by regional vaccination rates and state and local public health mandates and guidelines. Nationwide, more than 150 million people are fully vaccinated — about 46 percent of the total population.
The Detroit 3 have been collaborating with each other and the UAW on masking and worker safety guidelines on a task force since shortly after the pandemic began. UAW spokesman Brian Rothenberg said the task force is scheduled to meet again next week.
GM said it "continues to evaluate the latest OSHA guidance and its alignment with recommendations" from federal health officials, but so far, masking and social distancing policies remain in place for its unionized work force.
"We're hoping to be able to relax or rescind more COVID protocols over time," GM said in a written statement.
At Nissan's U.S. facilities, vaccinated employees can voluntarily submit proof of vaccination, and can work without a mask once they do so, as long as local or state guidelines don't require otherwise.
Volvo said it continues to encourage workers at its South Carolina plant to get vaccinated, including by offering vaccines on-site. Once employees are fully vaccinated, the company lifts its mask requirement, a spokesman told Automotive News. Meanwhile, BMW said it would begin to allow fully vaccinated workers in the its Woodcliff Lake, N.J., headquarters to take their masks off in the office beginning July 6.
Masks are still required for unvaccinated workers at Volkswagen's assembly plant in Chattanooga, while workers at its headquarters in Herndon, Va., continue to work remotely, a spokesman said.
Mercedes said masks are welcome but no longer required for fully vaccinated employees at U.S. facilities where state and local law allow, but those not vaccinated must wear them.
Laurence Iliff, Urvaksh Karkaria, Hannah Lutz, Lindsay Chappell and Reuters contributed to this report.
