Ford again requiring masks at plants in Missouri, Florida

The Ford Motor Company said it will again require all employees to wear masks at its facilities in Missouri and Florida, two states where new coronavirus cases are spiking. 

The mandate will additionally be in effect for visitors at the those facilities, The Detroit News reported.

The Michigan-based automaker will also require employees be vaccinated against the coronavirus before traveling internationally “due to the potential of increased exposure to COVID-19,” according to spokesperson Kelli Felker. 

“Ford continues to strongly encourage all team members who are medically able to be vaccinated,” Felker said in a statement, according to the News. 

Ford’s announcement comes as federal health officials warn of the dangers of the quickly spreading delta variant of the coronavirus, a more transmissible and potentially deadly strain that has now become the dominant one in the United States. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance on Tuesday, recommending that vaccinated Americans wear masks while in crowded indoor environments in certain areas of the country where the delta variant has caused a major increase in cases. 

The Biden administration is facing increasing pressure to require all teachers, health care workers and other individuals who spend large amounts of time in contact with others to be vaccinated as a condition of their employment. 

On Monday, the Department of Veterans Affairs became the first federal agency to announce it would do so. 

California and New York City have also said they will make proof of full vaccination or testing a requirement for all government employees.