Google would require coronavirus vaccines for returning workplace staff | Engadget

Google would require its staff to get vaccinated in opposition to the coronavirus earlier than they’re allowed to return to the corporate’s places of work. “Anyone coming to work on our campuses will need to be vaccinated,” CEO Sundar Pichai stated in an internal email the corporate shared on Wednesday. “Getting vaccinated is one of the most important ways to keep ourselves and our communities healthy in the months ahead.”

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 broadly accessible there, and the corporate says there will likely be an exception course of in place for workers who can’t get immunized for medical or “other protected reasons.” Google hasn’t stated what share of its staff are already vaccinated, however Pichai notes within the letter it’s been “encouraging to see very high vaccination rates for our Google community in areas where vaccines are widely available.”

In the identical e mail, Pichai additionally introduced Google is pushing again its return-to-office date. The firm now hopes to have staff on a hybrid workweek by October 18th as an alternative of September as beforehand deliberate. The announcement follows an analogous determination from Apple in mild of accelerating COVID-19 caseloads within the US and lots of different elements of the world as a result of unfold of the extra contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus. “This extension will allow us time to ramp back into work while providing flexibility for those who need it,” Pichai stated. “We’ll continue watching the data carefully and let you know at least 30 days in advance before transitioning into our full return to office plans.”