The parent company of Fox News told employees this week that they will no longer be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative test in order to enter office spaces, according to an internal memo obtained and reviewed by The Daily Beast.
The company-wide message was first reported by industry blog FTV Live on Tuesday morning. “Effective August 1, 2022, FOX employees and visitors will no longer need to show the WorkCare Clear Pass to FOX security upon entry. The Clear Pass/Green Screen process at FOX locations is being discontinued,” the memo from Fox Corp. read.
“We will continue to require that every employee self-monitor for symptoms,” the email continued. “If you are experiencing any of the known COVID-related symptoms identified by the DCD, do not come to work. If you have symptoms or a known exposure, please contact HR. You will then need to complete the WorkMatters screening to determine your next steps for returning to work.”
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A Fox Corp. spokesperson confirmed to The Daily Beast that the memo was sent to staffers last week—more specifically on Friday, according to Fox News staffers.
Beginning in the summer of 2021, Fox first implemented a protocol for employees known as “FOX Clear Pass,” which provided them the opportunity to upload their COVID-19 vaccination status. Staffers who self-reported that they had been vaccinated were then allowed to bypass the company’s daily health screening, which meant they didn’t have to routinely submit a negative COVID-19 test.
Later that summer, however, the company updated its protocols and mandated all employees to upload their vaccination status to the internal database. Fox employees not vaccinated would then be subjected to daily COVID testing in order to enter the workplace.
The company putting in place its own vaccine passport for staffers came just as Fox News hosts and commentators railed against the Biden administration’s vaccine and testing requirements, labeling the government’s policies as “tyranny” and “authoritarianism.” At the same time, Fox boasted about their vaccine protocols, adding that over 90 percent of the workforce had gotten the jab.
Fox News star Tucker Carlson, who claimed he was unvaccinated earlier this year, repeatedly denounced the coronavirus vaccines on his top-rated primetime program while baselessly suggesting they caused thousands of deaths. Yet, even as he urged his viewers to get fake vaccine cards to bypass businesses and public venue policies requiring the jab, he clammed up whenever asked about his own employer’s vaccine policy.
