United Airlines has agreed to temporarily pause its COVID-19 vaccine mandate until Oct. 15 for employees who submit religious or medical exemptions. The company in early August became the first U.S. carrier to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for all domestic employees. It announced that any employees not vaccinated by Sept. 27 would be terminated on Oct. 2 and those who refused the vaccine would be terminated outright. It then said that people seeking medical or religious exemption will be automatically placed on indefinite unpaid leave. Six United employees last week filed a class-action suit against the airline, saying it failed to provide accommodation for workers who opted to not get a COVID-19 vaccine. Attorneys representing the employees announced Tuesday that United agreed on Sept. 24 “to halt its plan to effectively terminate some 2,000 of its employees who decline to get the COVID-19 vaccine for religious or medical reasons, in a victory for …