If you’re an unvaccinated Apple employee, you better be ready for “frequent” testing.
As reported by The Verge, Apple CEO Tim Cook and senior vice president of retail and people Deirdre O’Brien announced a new policy concerning COVID-19 vaccinations and testing at a virtual town hall for employees today.
The new policy, which goes into effect next month, will require that vaccinated employees who wish to enter one of the company’s offices or stores to get “infrequently” tested for COVID-19. Unvaccinated employees will be required to get “frequently” tested for the virus.
Starting next month, Apple will “infrequently” test employees who come into its offices and stores for COVID-19, if they’re vaccinated. Unvaccinated employees will have to get frequent testing. Apple CEO Tim Cook and senior vice president of retail and people Deirdre O’Brien announced the new policy during an all-hands meeting today, according to an audio recording obtained by The Verge.
It is currently unclear what “infrequently” and “frequently” will equate to. Apple has continued to increase testing and launched programs that encourage and help employees get vaccinated, but the company has stopped short of requiring its employees to be vaccinated.
Other major technology companies like Microsoft, Google, and Facebook have already implemented more strict policies that require employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 if they wish to enter one of the company’s facilities.
Apple has been struggling to return to the office. It has already pushed back its return to office plans twice and currently hopes to make that happen in January of 2022.
