Apple employees will need to show proof of receiving a COVID-19 booster shot, a report claims, or else they face undergoing frequent testing for the virus as part of the iPhone maker's attempts to keep its employees safe.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Apple has been keen to enforce social distancing and to ensure as many employees as possible get vaccinated. In an internal memo, Apple is continuing to push its workers to get vaccinated with a booster shot if the opportunity becomes available.
The internal memo says employees who are eligible to receive a booster shot have up to four weeks to get it and supply proof, reports The Verge. If they do not provide the information to Apple, they will have to take frequent tests before turning up to work at a store or office from February 15.
From January 24th, Apple will require those who have yet to provide proof of vaccination and unvaccinated employees to take rapid antigen tests before going to work.
"Due to waning efficacy 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 staying up to date with your COVID-19 vaccination to protect against severe disease," writes Apple in the memo.
The request for proof occurs ahead of Apple's expected return to in-office work by February 1. Under the plan, corporate workers would return to a hybrid work model at campuses and offices for one or two days a week, before adopting a three-day strategy.