Unvaccinated and working at Apple? Prepare for COVID-19 testing ‘every time’ you step in the office – The Register

Apple will require unvaccinated workers to get tested for COVID-19 every time they come into the office for work, starting from November 1.

Employees have been told to declare whether theyve been vaccinated or not by October 24, Bloomberg reported this week. Staff who choose not to disclose their vaccination status will be subjected to COVID-19 testing whenever they enter the office, it's said.

The iGiant has again and again pushed back the date it wants its staff to return to their desks as the coronavirus continues romping around the planet. Although it hoped workers could go back to their campuses this autumn, now the plan is to get them working at least three days a week at their office desks from some time in January 2022.

So far this concerns office workers. The rules are a little different for people manning the Apple Stores. Many have already returned to the physical retail shops, and those that remain unvaccinated will be required to be tested for COVID-19 twice a week.

Rapid do-it-yourself test kits will be made available for employees in Apple offices and retail stores, and, of course, there's an app for that, on which staff will self-report their status.

Apples latest safety protocols to tackle the bio-nasty fall short of forcing a vaccine mandate on all employees. Other tech companies have been more stringent. Google, Facebook, and IBM, for example, have made it clear staff must be fully vaccinated before they can go back their work campuses.

Big Blue is more hardcore, and has said it would suspend employees with no pay if they choose to remain unvaccinated from December 9, regardless of whether theyre continuing to work from home or not. IBM said it has to follow rules set by President Joe Biden, who signed an executive order that stated federal contractors and subcontractors must be vaccinated.

The Register has asked Apple for comment.

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Unvaccinated and working at Apple? Prepare for COVID-19 testing 'every time' you step in the office - The Register