Apple Still Not Mandating Vaccine, Asks Employees For Vaccination Status: Report

The company has yet to follow the likes of Microsoft and Google in requiring that employees receive vaccination to visit U.S. offices.

Apple is still not requiring vaccines for employees, but the company has put out a request that U.S. employees share their vaccination status, according to a report.

CRN has reached out to Apple for comment.

[Related: AT&T Mandates COVID-19 Vaccines In Light Of Delta Variant Spread]

Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple is asking U.S. employees to voluntarily report on whether they’ve had the vaccine, requesting that this information be shared by Sept. 17, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

According to the report, Apple plans to use the data to “inform its COVID-19 response efforts and protocols.”

The request to all U.S. employees follows prior requests for vaccination status of Apple workers in California, Washington and New Jersey, which is required because of local regulations, the Bloomberg report said.

Apple has not taken the step of requiring vaccines for U.S. employees. Microsoft, by contrast, has mandated that employees—as well as vendors and guests—show proof of vaccination to enter its U.S. buildings starting this month. Other companies with vaccine requirements for employees include Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and AT&T.

According to Bloomberg, Apple has told employees that the responses will be aggregated and will not be provided to managers—at least not right away. This “could change in the future,” the report says.

Meanwhile, Apple has delayed its date for re-opening offices several times. The tech giant disclosed last week that the return to the office has been delayed again, to January, amid the ongoing spread of the coronavirus. The surge of cases caused by the Delta variant has led to renewed concerns about re-opening U.S. offices for some companies.