Seventy-one percent of employers are planning to relax or lift COVID-19 workplace protocols, 83% of which are relaxing mask protocols, according to a survey released this month by the Philadelphia-based law firm Blank Rome LLP.

Just over half (51%) are not making COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for current employees, but 38% are, which is up from the 15% who reported doing so in July 2021, according to the survey of 152 C-suite executives, in-house attorneys and human resources professionals conducted from March 3-March 18.

On social distancing requirements in conference and meeting areas, 54% of respondents said they plan to relax protocols. Forty-three percent said they plan to relax protocols on common areas of the office. More than half of the respondents — 51.7% — reported that most workers have returned to the office, with some options for flexible or hybrid work-from-home exceptions.

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