According to internal emails, Google changed its Covid-19 vaccination mandate to cover all remote employees who work with the federal government “directly or indirectly,” a policy set by federal laws, causing outrage among certain employees.
Google reminded its workers in a message last month that they must disclose their Covid-19 vaccination status by December 3 and that employees who work on federal contracts must get vaccinated even if they work remotely.
Google previously said in July that all employees returning to a physical office must get vaccinated, but now the policy might apply to remote workers as well.
According to CNBC, at least 600 Google workers — or around 0.4 percent of the company’s 140,000 employees — signed a statement criticizing the existing vaccine obligation in reaction to the amended inoculation guidelines.
Google’s new restrictions are in part a reaction to two government vaccination regulations. All government contractors, including those who work from home, must be vaccinated by January, according to President Joe Biden. By January, the federal government plans to implement a bigger rule requiring all private enterprises with 100 or more employees to require in-person workers to either be vaccinated or get tested weekly, but that regulation has been temporarily delayed by a federal appeals court.
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