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Houston Astros, Washington Nationals sanction COVID-19 vaccine for non-players

By Mark Powell

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 27: The Washington Nationals logo on the scoreboard after a baseball game against the New York Mets at Nationals Park on September 27, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 27: The Washington Nationals logo on the scoreboard after a baseball game against the New York Mets at Nationals Park on September 27, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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The Houston Astros and Washington Nationals became the first two MLB teams to sanction the COVID-19 vaccine for full-time, non-playing employees.

The decision is sure to be met with criticism from some, as the issue of public safety has been politicized to the point misinformation has received critical acclaim.

We cannot say this enough — the COVID-19 vaccine has been deemed safe by most experts and governing bodies. In similar fashion to, say, a flu vaccine or polio vaccine, requiring it for specific employees when the safety of others is on the line is not necessarily a new concept.

Washington Nationals and Houston Astros set trend around baseball

The Nationals released a statement on the subject:

“Like many organizations, the Washington Nationals decided to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for all full-time staff. Employees were notified of this policy on August 12 and had until August 26th to either provide proof of full vaccination, proof of first shot or apply for an exemption. As a company, we have a responsibility to do everything we can to keep one another safe and felt that mandating vaccines was the absolute right thing to do for our employees and our community.”

While vaccine mandates were previously a foreign concept in baseball, the NFL set a trend around sports as it pertains to this issue.

It’s unknown if the rest of baseball will follow suit, but the Nats and Astros are unlikely to be the last two MLB teams to mandate the vaccine, especially with the Delta variant spreading across the country.

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