Microsoft said Tuesday it will require employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus in order to enter its U.S. offices, starting in September. The software company will also seek proof of vaccination for vendors and guests visiting the campus.
The move comes a week after U.S. government agencies and other technology companies said they will require vaccinations for workers, as the delta variant of the virus becomes more common in the country.
Microsoft said its U.S. facilities will have a full reopening no earlier than Oct. 4. The previous plan was to reopen on Sept. 7, after closing in March 2020. Apple and Google have also delayed returning to offices.
A few employees have returned to U.S. offices in the past few months. Many other employees have sought to keep working remotely. Last year Microsoft committed to letting all employees work remotely less than half the time, and employees can ask managers for permission to work remotely full time or relocate.
Employees with a religious reason or a medical condition can receive special accommodations, while employees caring for immunosuppressed people or children who are not eligible to receive a vaccine can keep working from home until January, the spokesperson said.
Facebook and Google are among the companies that have insisted employees be vaccinated to come back to offices. Of Microsoft’s 181,000 employees, 103,000 work in the U.S.
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