Facebook Meta Says Employees No Longer Need COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters To Come To US Offices

New Delhi: Meta, formerly Facebook, has decided to stop insisting staffers to get COVID-19 booster jabs in order to enter its offices in the US, the media has reported. Amid rising cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, the social networking giant had announced that employees returning to the office would have to present proof of their booster COVID-19 booster shots.

“We updated our requirements in early March to align with CDC guidance, and now COVID-19 boosters are no longer required for entry, though strongly recommended. The primary vaccination requirement (1- or 2-shot series) remains in place,” Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters.

Meta, has, however, maintained that its employees returning to offices in the US need to fulfill the primary vaccination requirement of getting one or two shot-series. The company also mentioned that it also recommends getting the coronavirus booster shot.

Meta had said in January that employees who have received COVID booster jabs will only be allowed to enter office premises when it finally reopens.

Earlier in January, taking a cue from Meta, Apple had asked its employees to get a COVID booster shot and submit proof of vaccination before entering office premises and its own retail stores. Apple had reportedly asked unvaccinated employees to provide negative COVID rapid antigen tests before entering the workplace.

In an internal email seen by The Verge, the iPhone maker had said that once an employee is eligible to get a booster shot, they will have four weeks to comply.