Boeing Co. has suspended its coronavirus vaccination requirement for U.S.-based employees, according to an internal document seen by Reuters on Friday.

In an internal announcement, Boeing said its decision came after a review of a U.S. District Court ruling earlier this month that halted the enforcement of President Joe Biden's vaccine requirement for federal contractors.

In recent weeks, the number of Boeing employees seeking a vaccine exemption on religious or medical grounds had reached more than 11,000 - or nearly 9% of its U.S. workforce - a level many times higher than executives initially estimated, Reuters first reported.

The reluctance has left executives scrambling for a strategy that keeps employees safe and complies with President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate for federal contractors, but avoids an exodus of engineering and factory labor.