Booster Mandates? Goldman Sachs Requiring Shots For Employees, Visitors

Goldman Sachs will require all employees and visitors to receive a COVID-19 booster shot beginning on Feb. 1, along with twice-weekly testing starting Jan. 10, in an effort to keep employees safe during the rise of the Omicron variant, Bloomberg reported.

Several Wall Street firms have canceled holiday gatherings and allowed employees to work from home to keep themselves safe from the virus. Citigroup and Bank of America told their staffs to stay home during the holidays and Wells Fargo plans to return to their offices on Jan 10.

Goldman Sachs Chief Executive Officer David Solomon and JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Jamie Dimon have both been behind the push to get employees back to work in their New York City offices after the holidays. However, they are urging caution and recommending regular testing for those who wish to return.

Andy Slavitt, former COVID-19 adviser to President Joe Biden, said all CEOs should require their employees to get booster shots.

"Boost everybody. If everybody is boosted, that's your best shot at having everyone back," Slavitt said in an interview with CNN.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the current seven-day moving average of daily new cases is 122,297 and carries a positivity rate of 7.2%.

The vaccination rates show that 72.4% of the eligible U.S. population had at least one shot and 61.2% is fully vaccinated.