Apple still won’t mandate vaccines but will require employees to regularly take COVID-19 tests

Apple is tightening its COVID-19 policies, requiring that unvaccinated employees (or employees who refuse to disclose their vaccination status) get daily COVID-19 tests to enter its offices, although the company still has yet to require workers to get vaccinated. Vaccinated employees will also have to do regular tests, but only once a week, Bloomberg reports.

Retail workers at Apple Stores will also have to regularly test, although at a lower rate than other Apple employees: unvaccinated store workers will have to take tests twice per week, with vaccinated workers getting tested once a week.

According to Bloomberg, Apple has asked its employees to submit proof of vaccination by October 24th, ahead of the new testing requirements kicking in on November 1st.

And while the move does mark a slightly stronger push by Apple to get its employees vaccinated, it still falls short of actually requiring employees to get vaccinated. Apple is one of the largest major tech companies that hasn’t instituted a mandate yet, with Google, Facebook, and Microsoft all requiring that in-person employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter their offices.

Apple’s new requirements also after President Joe Biden’s announcement of plans to establish new OSHA standards that would require companies with more than 100 employees (which Apple certainly falls under) to ensure employees either are vaccinated against COVID-19 or conducting weekly testing, something Apple’s new requirements would meet.