Apple employees may have to stay up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines if they want to avoid significant hassles. The Verge says it has seen internal email revealing that Apple will require corporate and retail staff to offer proof of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots if they want to enter offices or stores from February 15th onward. Once an employee is eligible for a booster, they’ll have four weeks to get it and provide evidence.
Workers who are either unvaccinated or can’t provide proof will have to provide negative rapid antigen test results from January 24th onward, but it’s not certain if this affects both office and store employees.
Apple was plain in its reasoning. The “waning efficacy” of initial vaccine doses and the rise of COVID-19’s Omicron variant meant that boosters were necessary to guard against serious illness, according to the company.
We’ve asked Apple for comment. The report comes just days after Facebook parent Meta required booster shots for a return to the office, and not long after Apple temporarily closed numerous stores following COVID-19 outbreaks. Simply put, there’s a lot of added pressure to require boosters and minimize significant disruptions.
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