Meta Relaxes Covid Booster Requirement For Staff

Facebook owner Meta Platforms confirms it is relaxing its requirement for its staff to show proof of Covid-19 booster shots when entering company premises.

It was back in July 2021 when both Meta and Google tightened its rules to ensure the safety of its staff returning to the office or campus, when it required their staff to be vaccinated against Coronavirus, when they return to offices or campuses.

A week after that Facebook also required all its US staff to wear a mask, regardless of their vaccine status.

Vaccine required

But now Reuters has quoted a company spokesperson as confirming on Friday that Meta staff will no longer need to have Covid-19 boosters in order to enter its offices in the United States.

“We updated our requirements in early March to align with CDC guidance, and now Covid-19 boosters are no longer required for entry, though strongly recommended,” Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton was quoted as saying.

“The primary vaccination requirement (1- or 2-shot series) remains in place,” Clayton reportedly said.

The Meta spokesperson did not say why the firm has opted for the change.

Booster shot

But it comes as both Facebook and Microsoft reopened their US offices last week to their staff, after nearly two years of remote working during the pandemic.

Meta and Apple are known to have insisted that staff also get booster shots (on top of the vaccine), but they have not proven popular with Californian residents, CNBC reported.

Both Apple and Meta (and indeed most big name tech firms), are headquartered in California.

CNBC, citing New York Times data, reported that California has 71 percent of its population fully vaccinated.

But it seems that just 35 percent of people in California have received a booster shot, as case counts have fallen since January.