Google ends its mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy

According to a Google announcement, the company will no longer require COVID-19 vaccinations for all of its employees worldwide. When the policy was first put into place in December 2021, it was met with opposition from employees who did not want to get vaccinated.

Google has withdrawn the policy after US President Joe Biden signed legislation ending the national emergency response to the pandemic, noting that the majority of people currently have some kind of immunity against COVID-19.

Nonetheless, the company still urges employees to stay at home if they have COVID-19-like symptoms and to maintain their COVID-19 vaccination records. They are also advised to get vaccinated against the flu every year.

Google has also made the decision to reduce several staff perks, such as complimentary massages, laundry services, and meals, in order to cut costs.

It is now only giving engineers MacBooks, and giving non-engineering employees Chromebooks. The company claims that using Chromebooks will provide employees a practical understanding of their own products.

In light of the rising number of COVID-19 cases in India, Google has declined to comment on whether these changes will be made here.