Apple is now asking all of its employees in the United States to report their vaccination status by mid-September. According to a new report from Bloomberg, Apple is asking that employees report this information regardless of whether they are working remotely or from the office.
In a memo, Apple said that employees should “voluntarily” report their status by September 17. The company plans to use the data to “inform its COVID-19 response efforts and protocols,” the report explains. Apple had previously asked employees in California, Washington, and New Jersey for this information, but it’s now expanding the policy to all United States employees.
“As Apple’s Covid-19 response continues to evolve, our primary focus remains keeping our team members, their friends and families, and our entire community healthy,” Apple wrote in the memo obtained by Bloomberg.
The company also said that while it is keeping the vaccine data “confidential and secure,” the vaccination status could be used in an “identifiable manner” in the future:
Despite the fact that it is now asking employees to report their vaccination status, Apple is yet again stopping short of mandating vaccines, something that other tech companies like Google and Facebook have already done.
“It is possible your vaccination status may be used in an identifiable manner, along with other information about your general work environment such as your building location, if we determine or, if it is required that, this information is necessary in order to ensure a healthy and safe work environment,” Apple said in the memo.
Read more:
- Apple relying on frequent COVID testing for employees, no vaccine requirement yet
- Apple reportedly asking employees for their vaccination status in some locations
- Tim Cook says Apple considering whether requiring employee vaccinations is ‘the right answer’
- Apple urges all employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19, but stops short of mandate
