Apple will now require employees to present proof of a COVID-19 booster shot

Apple now requires store and corporate employees to receive a COVID-19 booster shot, the company announced in an internal email seen by The Verge.

Once an employee is eligible to receive a booster shot, he or she will have four weeks to comply; Otherwise, he or she must enter a retail store, partner store or Apple office by February 15. This will require repeated testing. Apple will require non-vaccinated employees to provide a negative COVID-19 rapid antigen test before entering the workplace from January 24 -- or who haven't yet presented proof of vaccination, though that's not clear. Does this apply to both corporate and retail employees.

"Due to the decrease in the effectiveness of the primary series of COVID-19 vaccines and the emergence of highly transmissible variants such as Omicron, a booster shot is now part of keeping up to date with your COVID-19 vaccinations to protect against serious disease," Apple said. Said in the memo. On saying so.

Last year, Apple asked non-vaccinated corporate employees to be tested daily before entering the office, with non-vaccinated retail employees being tested twice per week. The company began requiring vaccinated individuals to take a COVID-19 test once every week, and later reduced the frequency of these tests. It appears that Apple's "exclusive" testing policy no longer applies to employees who do not receive a booster shot by Apple's deadline.

Earlier this week, Meta said employees would need to receive a COVID-19 booster shot before returning to company work in the office in March. While Google has not yet mandated booster shots company-wide, it requires employees to take the first two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, as well as undergo weekly molecular testing.