Walt Disney drops COVID-19 vaccination mandate from many TV shows as shutdown fears recede
The Walt Disney Company, the largest entertainment conglomerate in the world, on Friday relaxed its policy on coronavirus vaccine mandates in shows about public safety, after testing whether such restrictions could affect ratings. The Walt Disney Company, the largest entertainment conglomerate in the world, on Friday relaxed its policy on coronavirus vaccine mandates in shows about public safety, after testing whether such restrictions could affect ratings. Photo: Associated Press Photo: Associated Press Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Walt Disney drops COVID-19 vaccination mandate from many TV shows as shutdown fears recede 1 / 5 Back to Gallery
Walt Disney’s “Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker” has dropped a requirement that its employees take an anti-vaxxer vaccine, two weeks after testing whether the mandate could negatively affect ratings.
The film’s first act aired on Disney’s Star Wars franchise Friday morning, but then it was replaced on the schedule by the upcoming live-action “Star Wars: Episode VIII,” as part of the series in which “Star Wars” creator George Lucas will return.
After its first act was dropped, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” was then moved back to the second act, which is the finale of the first “Star Wars” trilogy, “Episode IV,” on Disney-owned ABC.
This is the second time within the last three weeks that Disney has been found to be in violation of industry standards regarding vaccine mandates. According to the Motion Picture Association of America, Disney violated the mandate by allowing its employees to take the vaccine, and the company was ordered to pay a $5 million fine in December.
This is in addition to penalties that were levied against the company last year related to its policy on requiring employees to remove all references to vaccines from its internal communications within 24 hours of getting the flu or chicken pox.
But the violations from Disney and the MPAA have been eclipsed by the government-mandated guidelines that require all Americans to be inoculated against vaccines to prevent the
