Sources: Cleveland Guardians next MLB team to issue COVID vaccine mandate

According to an email obtained by FanSided, the Cleveland Guardians are the next MLB team to issue a COVID vaccine mandate to its players.

With the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate deadline looming early next year, it doesn’t come as a surprise to learn the Cleveland Guardians have begun informing team employees they must get the COVID vaccine or face termination.

Guardians employees have until January 3, 2022 to be fully vaccinated or else face termination by the team. The mandate stems from the Biden administration’s rule set to take place on January 4 of next year, which requires employers with 100 or more employees to get their employees vaccinated and require unvaccinated employees to produce a negative test on at least a weekly basis.

In the email obtained by FanSided, originally sent a month ago with the most recent reminder this Tuesday, the Guardians said:

“The Policy requires that all Executive Office and Service Level Employees or ‘Covered Employees’ who are not subject to any exemption be fully vaccinated by January 3, 2022.

• To be fully vaccinated, two-weeks must have passed after receiving either the second shot in a two-shot vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) or the only shot of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson Vaccine.
• That means that – absent any exemption – all Executive Office and Service Level employees must receive either their second Moderna/Pfizer shot, or single Johnson and Johnson shot by December 20, 2021. Remember: there is an approximately three-week (Pfizer) or four-week (Moderna) gap between the first and second doses of the two-dose vaccines, so meeting these deadlines will require advanced planning. Failure to comply with this Policy will result in termination.”

The Washington Nationals and Houston Astros were the first two MLB teams to issue a vaccine mandate, which most recently has led to two ex-Nationals coaches – terminated by the mandate – to sue the team. Several other teams have implemented similar policies as well. All minor-league players are also subject to a vaccine mandate, and there was a mandate in place for all non-playing personnel during the postseason this year.