State Farm workers told to mask up as COVID cases rise

State Farm
State Farm employees at the company’s other hubs in Atlanta, Dallas, and Phoenix must also wear face coverings, the company said. (Photo courtesy: WJBC/File)

By Heart of Illinois ABC

BLOOMINGTON – About 14,000 State Farm employees in Bloomington must wear face masks at work as McLean County is labeled by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as a community with “substantial” COVID-19 transmission.

However, the insurer is not requiring workers to receive the vaccine, said Gina Morss-Fischer, who’s a public affairs specialist for the company.

“State Farm encourages all employees, who are able, to consider the potential health benefits of getting vaccinated,” Morss-Fischer said in a prepared statement.

The mask-wearing requirement went into effect on Friday, aligning with recent CDC guidelines for even fully-vaccinated people to wear masks in indoor public spaces to limit the spread of the highly contagious delta variant.

“We will continue to monitor trends and guidance and make adjustments as needed,” Morss-Fischer also said.

State Farm employees at the company’s other hubs in Atlanta, Dallas, and Phoenix must also wear face coverings, the company said.

Heart of Illinois ABC can be reached at [email protected]

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