Apple To Require Daily Tests For Unvaccinated Staff

Apple has stopped short of issuing a blanket Coronavirus vaccine mandate, but it is going to make life very difficult for staff refusing to the get the jab.

Corporate workers at Apple who are unvaccinated will be required to get tested for Covid-19 every time they come into the office for work, starting from 1 November, Bloomberg reported.

Meanwhile unvaccinated retail staff will be asked to test twice a week, and any staff member who opts not to disclose their vaccine status will be subjected to Covid-19 testing whenever they enter the office.

Vaccine requirement

Apple, like other technology giants, has repeatedly pushed back the return to office date as the Coronavirus pandemic stubbornly continues to impact countries and populations.

In August Apple pushed back the date for staff to return to corporate offices and campuses, until January 2022.

This is for Apple’s corporate staff of course.

Its retail staff have already returned to re-opened Apple Stores, which began opening again last year.

Unvaccinated retail staff will be required to be tested for Covid-19 twice a week.

Apple has reportedly made do-it-yourself test kits available for staff in Apple offices and retail stores. It has also reportedly developed an internal app so staff can self-report their status.

Apple is not alone here regarding a strict position on vaccines.

In July both Facebook and Google became the first two tech giants to announce they would require their staff to be vaccinated, when they return to offices or campuses.

IBM has also implemented a mandatory vaccine rule for its staff returning to the office. And it said it would suspend staff with no pay from 9 December if they choose to remain unvaccinated.

Vaccine mandates

Apple’s decision not to implement a mandatory requirement for vaccines, comes at a time when there is a big debate (mostly in the United States), over the issue of vaccine mandates.

Earlier this month, Texas governor, Greg Abbott, signed another controversial executive order – this time stopping any organisation, including private businesses, from requiring Covid-19 vaccines for its staff.

It comes after the Biden administration prepares to issue federal vaccine rules in the US, requiring employers with more than 100 workers to be vaccinated or test weekly for the coronavirus.