Google will require coronavirus vaccines for returning office employees

Google would require its workers to get vaccinated towards the coronavirus earlier than they’re allowed to return to the corporate’s workplaces. “Anybody coming to work on our campuses will have to be vaccinated,” CEO Sundar Pichai stated in an inner e mail the corporate shared on Wednesday. “Getting vaccinated is without doubt one of the most essential methods to maintain ourselves and our communities wholesome within the months forward.”

Google will implement the coverage within the US within the “coming weeks,” with different areas to observe within the months to come back. The requirement gained’t apply in an space till vaccines are extensively accessible there, and the corporate says there can be an exception course of in place for workers who can’t get immunized for medical or “different protected causes.” Google hasn’t stated what share of its workers are already vaccinated, however Pichai notes within the letter it’s been “encouraging to see very excessive vaccination charges for our Google group in areas the place vaccines are extensively accessible.”

In the identical e mail, Pichai additionally introduced Google is pushing again its return-to-office date. The corporate now hopes to have workers on a hybrid workweek by October 18th as an alternative of September as beforehand deliberate. The announcement follows an identical determination from Apple in gentle of accelerating COVID-19 caseloads within the US and plenty of different components of the world as a result of unfold of the extra contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus. “This extension will enable us time to ramp again into work whereas offering flexibility for many who want it,” Pichai stated. “We’ll proceed watching the information rigorously and allow you to know at the least 30 days upfront earlier than transitioning into our full return to workplace plans.”