Goldman Sachs lifts Covid vaccine and testing mandate for many employees

(CNN) — Goldman Sachs will no longer require its non-New York City based employees to get vaccinated for Covid-19, according to a memo obtained by CNN. The Wall Street investment bank told staff in a memo on Tuesday that effective September 6, all employees can enter its offices in the Americas, "regardless of vaccination status," with no requirement to participate in regular testing or wear face coverings. The new Goldman Sachs Covid policy, first reported by the New York Post, does not apply to New York City, which has a vaccine mandate in place. Goldman Sachs, whose headquarters is in Lower Manhattan, said NYC employees without an approved exemption should continue to work remotely. The relaxed Covid protocols from Goldman Sachs show how some businesses are evolving in an effort to live with Covid. "With many tools including vaccination, improved treatments and testing now available, there is significantly less risk of severe illness," Goldman Sachs wrote in the memo, which cited updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that no longer differentiates between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals to define exposure and infections. Goldman Sachs in June 2021 became one of the first major companies to call employees back to the office full-time, taking a more aggressive stance than some other employers. Three months later, the bank required employees to get vaccinated. Last December, Goldman Sachs announced plans to require everyone entering its US offices to show proof of Covid vaccination booster shots and the bank mandated testing twice a week. Given the availability of antigen tests, the bank said in the memo it will begin ramping down its supply of test kits at offices. The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.