Add CategoryApple employees will now be required to get Covid booster shots or face harsh testing regulations, the company has announced.
Once an employee is eligible for the boosters, they will now have four weeks to comply or they will need to take frequent tests to enter a retail store, partner store or Apple office from February 15.
The new rules were detailed in a memo and published by The Verge.
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“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,” Apple stated in the memo.
Apple will require unvaccinated employees — or those who haven’t yet submitted proof of vaccination — to provide negative Covid-19 rapid antigen tests before entering the workplace beginning on January 24, although it is not clear whether this applies to both corporate and retail employees.
It is also not known if the rule applies to Australian staff.
The tech giant last year asked unvaccinated employees to take daily tests before entering the office while unvaccinated retail workers tested twice per week.
It comes a month after dozens of Apple employees staged a Christmas walkout.
The protest, organised by the advocacy group Apple Together, came during the last-minute Christmas shopping rush, The Sun reported.
In a statement issued on Twitter, the group said: “We are Apple. We deserve a respectful workplace. We deserve paid sick time. We deserve protection on the front lines. We deserve proper mental healthcare.
“Demand that. Apple upholds its image with your wallet. Don‘t shop in stores. Don’t shop online. #AppleWalkout.”
The group, consisting of current and former Apple employees, is an extension of the #AppleToo movement, which was formed to collect stories from employees at all levels at Apple who claim they have experienced harassment or discrimination.
Organisers of the walkout said that at least 50 workers across three US states were called out of work on Friday.