Falcons, Atlanta United will require COVID vaccinations for employees

Arthur Blank’s Atlanta-based businesses, including the Falcons and Atlanta United, will require employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 1, according to a new company policy.

Full-time and regular part-time employees will have to show proof of vaccination as a condition of employment unless exempted for medical or religious reasons, the company said. New hires will be required to show proof of vaccination during the hiring process.

The policy doesn’t cover Falcons and Atlanta United players, who instead fall under NFL and MLS guidelines that strongly encourage and incentivize players to be vaccinated but don’t mandate it. AMB Sports & Entertainment, the teams’ parent company, told the AJC on Monday that both the Falcons and Atlanta United now have 100% vaccination rates among players.

Event-day employees at Mercedes-Benz Stadium won’t be included under the Blank organization’s new policy. But hundreds of employees on the Falcons, Atlanta United and stadium staffs will be covered by the policy, which is being enacted amid a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations locally and nationally.

“We believe this can lead to increased safety and protection for all associates, decrease business interruptions and contribute to a drastic reduction of the negative impacts of the virus,” AMB Sports & Entertainment senior director of communications Heather Sautter said.

Employees who are exempted from the vaccine mandate because of medical or religious reasons will be required to wear masks at any Blank business location indoors, the company said.

“Like many other companies, the Blank Family of Businesses has had to make major adjustments across the businesses due to COVID-19 and now the new, aggressive delta variant,” Sautter said.