Intel announced that employees who do not comply with the company's mandate to be vaccinated by January 4 will be placed on unpaid leave, the Associated Press reported.
The unpaid leaves will begin in April, three months after the deadline, and will last a minimum of three months.
The company cited the Biden Administration's federal vaccine mandate for the policy, even though a Georgia court has blocked the mandate.
“We are closely monitoring the legal environment and expect it will take time for the case in Georgia, as well as other similar cases, to be fully resolved,” Intel said in a statement.
Intel Chief People Officer Christy Pambianchi stressed that unvaccinated employees will not be fired and will continue to receive healthcare benefits while they are on unpaid leave.
Employees who refuse to be vaccinated have until March 15 to receive an exemption from the requirement. If they do not receive an exemption the decision to place them on unpaid leave will go into effect.