Purpose:

Vaccination is a vital tool to reduce the presence and severity of COVID-19 cases in the workplace, in communities, and in the nation as a whole. Mission Yogurt has adopted this policy on mandatory vaccination to safeguard the health of our team members and their families, our customers and visitors, and the community at large from the hazard of COVID-19. This policy complies with OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard on Vaccination and Testing (29 CFR 1910.501).

Scope:

This Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policy applies to all team members of Mission Yogurt.

All team members covered by this policy are required to be fully vaccinated as a term and condition of employment at Mission Yogurt. Team members are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after completing primary vaccination with a COVID-19 vaccine, with, if applicable, at least the minimum recommended interval between doses. For example, this includes two weeks after a second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, or two weeks after the second dose of any combination of two doses of different COVID-19 vaccines as part of one primary vaccination series. All team members are required to report their vaccination status and to provide proof of vaccination. Team members must provide truthful and accurate information about their COVID-19 vaccination status, and, if applicable, their testing results. Team members not in compliance with this policy will be subject to termination.

Team members may request an exception from this mandatory vaccination policy if the vaccine is medically contraindicated for them or medical necessity requires a delay in vaccination. Team members also may be legally entitled to a reasonable accommodation if they cannot be vaccinated and/or wear a face covering (as otherwise required by this policy) because of a disability, or if the provisions in this policy for vaccination, and/or testing for COVID-19, and/or wearing a face covering conflict with a sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance. Requests for exceptions and reasonable accommodations must be initiated by the team member and sent to hr@missionyogurt.com. All such requests will be handled in accordance with applicable laws and regulations and as stated in the team member handbook.

Procedures:

Overview and General Information

All Mission Yogurt team members must be fully vaccinated no later than December 15, 2021.

To be fully vaccinated by December 15, 2021 a team member must:

• Obtain the second dose no later than November 30, 2021; or
• Obtain one dose of a single dose vaccine no later than December 1, 2021

Team members will be considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the requisite number of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. A team member will be considered partially vaccinated if they have received only one dose of a two dose vaccine.

Vaccination Status and Acceptable Forms of Proof of Vaccination

All vaccinated team members are required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination, regardless of where they received vaccination. Proof of vaccination status can be submitted to HR at hr@missionyogurt.com.

Acceptable proof of vaccination status is:  

1. The record of immunization from a healthcare provider or pharmacy;
2. A copy of the COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card;
3. A copy of medical records documenting the vaccination;
4. A copy of immunization records from a public health, state, or tribal immunization information system; or
5. A copy of any other official documentation that contains the type of vaccine administered, date(s) of administration, and the name of the healthcare professional(s) or clinic site(s) administering the vaccine(s).

Proof of vaccination generally should include the team member’s name, the type of vaccine administered, the date(s) of administration, and the name of the healthcare professional(s) or clinic site(s) that administered the vaccine. In some cases, state immunization records may not include one or more of these data fields, such as clinic site; in those circumstances Mission Yogurt will still accept the state immunization record as acceptable proof of vaccination.

If a team member is unable to produce one of these acceptable forms of proof of vaccination, despite attempts to do so (e.g., by trying to contact the vaccine administrator or state health department), the team member can provide a signed and dated statement attesting to their vaccination status (fully vaccinated or partially vaccinated); attesting that they have lost and are otherwise unable to produce one of the other forms of acceptable proof; and including the following language:

“I declare (or certify, verify, or state) that this statement about my vaccination status is true and accurate.  I understand that knowingly providing false information regarding my vaccination status on this form may subject me to criminal penalties.” 

A team member who attests to their vaccination status in this way should, to the best of their recollection, include in their attestation the type of vaccine administered, the date(s) of administration, and the name of the healthcare professional(s) or clinic site(s) administering the vaccine.  

All team members must inform Mission Yogurt of their vaccination status. The following table outlines the requirements for submitting vaccination status documentation. 

Supporting COVID-19 Vaccination

A team member may take up to four hours of duty time per dose to travel to the vaccination site, receive a vaccination, and return to work.  This would mean a maximum of eight hours of duty time for team members receiving two doses.  If a team member spends less time getting the vaccine, only the necessary amount of duty time will be granted.  Team members who take longer than four hours to get the vaccine must send their supervisor an email documenting the reason for the additional time (e.g., they may need to travel long distances to get the vaccine). Any additional time requested will be granted, if reasonable, but will not be paid; in that situation, the team member can elect to use accrued leave, e.g., sick leave, to cover the additional time. If a team member is vaccinated outside of their approved duty time they will not be compensated.

Team members may utilize up to two workdays of sick leave immediately following each dose if they have side effects from the COVID-19 vaccination that prevent them from working. Team members who have no sick leave will be granted up to two days of additional sick leave immediately following each dose if necessary.

The following procedures apply for requesting and granting duty time to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine or sick leave to recover from side effects:

Fill out a time off request form stating COVID-19 Vaccine as the reason for taking time off and give to your immediate supervisor for approval. The supervisor will send the approved copy of the time off request form to Payroll to be processed.

Team Member Notification of COVID-19 and Removal from the Workplace

Mission Yogurt will require team members to promptly notify their supervisor when they have tested positive for COVID-19 or have been diagnosed with COVID-19 by a licensed healthcare provider.

Medical Removal from the Workplace

Mission Yogurt has also implemented a policy for keeping COVID-19 positive team members from the workplace in certain circumstances. Mission Yogurt will immediately remove a team member from the workplace if they have received a positive COVID-19 test or have been diagnosed with COVID-19 by a licensed healthcare provider (i.e., immediately send them home or to seek medical care, as appropriate).

Return to Work Criteria

For any team member removed because they are COVID-19 positive, Mission Yogurt will keep them removed from the workplace until the team member receives a negative result on a COVID-19 nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) following a positive result on a COVID-19 antigen test if the team member chooses to seek a NAAT test for confirmatory testing; meets the return to work criteria in CDC’s “Isolation Guidance”; or receives a recommendation to return to work from a licensed healthcare provider.

Under CDC’s “Isolation Guidance,”  asymptomatic team members may return to work once 10 days have passed since the positive test, and symptomatic team members may return to work after all the following are true:

• At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared, and
• At least 24 hours have passed with no fever without fever-reducing medication, and
• Other symptoms of COVID-19 are improving (loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months and need not delay the end of isolation).

If an team member has severe COVID-19 or an immune disease, Mission Yogurt will follow the guidance of a licensed healthcare provider regarding return to work.

COVID-19 Testing

If an team member covered by this policy is not fully vaccinated (e.g., if they are granted an exception from the mandatory vaccination requirement because the vaccine is contraindicated for them), the team member will be required to comply with this policy for testing.

Team Members who report to the workplace at least once every seven days:

(A) must be tested for COVID-19 at least once every seven days; and

(B) must provide documentation of the most recent COVID-19 test result to their supervisor no later than the seventh day following the date on which the team member last provided a test result.

Any team member who does not report to the workplace during a period of seven or more days:

(A) must be tested for COVID-19 within seven days prior to returning to the workplace; and

(B) must provide documentation of that test result to their supervisor upon return to the workplace.

If an team member does not provide documentation of a COVID-19 test result as required by this policy, they will be removed from the workplace until they provide a test result.   

Team members who have received a positive COVID-19 test, or have been diagnosed with COVID-19 by a licensed healthcare provider, are not required to undergo COVID-19 testing for 90 days following the date of their positive test or diagnosis.

Face Coverings

If a team member covered by this policy is not fully vaccinated (e.g., if they are granted an exception from the mandatory vaccination requirement because the vaccine is contraindicated for them), Mission Yogurt will require the team member to wear a face covering. Face coverings must: (i) completely cover the nose and mouth; (ii) be made with two or more layers of a breathable fabric that is tightly woven (i.e., fabrics that do not let light pass through when held up to a light source); (iii) be secured to the head with ties, ear loops, or elastic bands that go behind the head. If gaiters are worn, they should have two layers of fabric or be folded to make two layers; (iv) fit snugly over the nose, mouth, and chin with no large gaps on the outside of the face; and (v) be a solid piece of material without slits, exhalation valves, visible holes, punctures, or other openings. Acceptable face coverings include clear face coverings or cloth face coverings with a clear plastic panel that, despite the non-cloth material allowing light to pass through, otherwise meet these criteria and which may be used to facilitate communication with people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing or others who need to see a speaker’s mouth or facial expressions to understand speech or sign language respectively. 

Team members who are not fully vaccinated must wear face coverings over the nose and mouth when indoors and when occupying a vehicle with another person for work purposes. Policies and procedures for face coverings will be implemented, along with the other provisions required by OSHA’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing ETS, as part of a multi-layered infection control approach for unvaccinated workers. 

The following are exceptions to Mission Yogurt’s requirements for face coverings:

1. When an team member is alone in a room with floor to ceiling walls and a closed door.
2. For a limited time, while an team member is eating or drinking at the workplace or for identification purposes in compliance with safety and security requirements.
3. When an team member is wearing a respirator or facemask.
4. Where Mission Yogurt has determined that the use of face coverings is infeasible or creates a greater hazard (e.g., when it is important to see the team member’s mouth for reasons related to their job duties, when the work requires the use of the team member’s uncovered mouth, or when the use of a face covering presents a risk of serious injury or death to the team member).

New Hires:

All new team members are required to comply with the vaccination requirements outlined in this policy as soon as practicable and as a condition of employment. Potential candidates for employment will be notified of the requirements of this policy prior to the start of employment.

Confidentiality and Privacy:

All medical information collected from individuals, including vaccination information, test results, and any other information obtained as a result of testing, will be treated in accordance with applicable laws and policies on confidentiality and privacy.

Questions:

Please direct any questions regarding this policy to the Human Resources.