Apple Inc will require retail and corporate services employees to provide evidence of Covid-19 booster shots, The Verge reported on Saturday, citing an internal email.
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Starting Jan. 24, unvaccinated employees or those who have not submitted proof of vaccination will need to test negative for Covid-19 to enter Apple’s workplaces, the report said. The Verge said it was not immediately clear whether the testing requirement applies to both corporate and retail employees.
“Due to the declining effectiveness of the main line of Covid-19 vaccines and the emergence of highly transmissible mutations like Omicron, a booster shot is now part of being protected from Covid-19,” the note read, according to The Verge.
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Many American companies are strengthening their Covid-19 rules, mandating vaccinations and delaying back-to-office plans as the Omicron mutation increases infections across the country.
This week, Meta told employees that workers must have a booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine before they can return to the office. It also delayed the reopening of its US offices until March 28 from a previous plan of January 31.
Alphabet Inc's Google said on Friday it was temporarily imposing weekly Covid-19 tests for people entering its US offices.
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A report by The Information said that Amazon offered warehouse workers in the US $40 to receive a booster dose of the vaccine.
Source of information: edition.cnn.com
