Facebook is the second major tech company in the US to require that all employees coming to its offices be vaccinated against COVID-19.
“As our offices reopen, we will be requiring anyone coming to work at any of our US campuses to be vaccinated,” Facebook’s vice president of people Lori Goler said in a statement.
Related | Google Is The First Major Tech Company To Require COVID-19 Vaccines
Facebook earlier said it expects to reopen offices in the US fully in October this year.
“How we implement this policy will depend on local conditions and regulations. We will have a process for those who cannot be vaccinated for medical or other reasons and will be evaluating our approach in other regions as the situation evolves. We continue to work with experts to ensure our return to office plans prioritize everyone’s health and safety,” Goler added.
US Tech companies are planning their return to office as COVID-19 rates increase across the country and the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) issued new recommendations this week saying that vaccinated people should go back to wearing masks in public indoor settings in areas of high transmission.
Facebook’s statement comes after Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced that staff would have to be vaccinated when coming into work at its campuses, beginning October 18th.
Other tech companies like Lyft followed and also announce they will require proof of vaccination for employees returning to offices. On the consumer side, Apple said it will be requiring customers and staff at most of its more than 270 US retail stores to wear masks even if they are vaccinated.