Apple employees will now be required to get Covid booster shots or face harsh testing regulations, the company has announced.
Once an employee is eligible for the boosters, they will now have four weeks to comply or they will need to take frequent tests to enter a retail store, partner store or Apple office from February 15.
The new rules were detailed in a memo and published by The Verge.
"Due to waning efficacy of the primary series of Covid-19 vaccines and the emergence of highly transmissible variants such as Omicron, a booster shot is now part of staying up to date with your Covid-19 vaccination to protect against severe disease," Apple stated in the memo.
Apple will require unvaccinated employees — or those who haven't yet submitted proof of vaccination — to provide negative Covid-19 rapid antigen tests before entering the workplace beginning on January 24, although it is not clear whether this applies to both corporate and retail employees.