Employees will have until January 4, 20222 to apply for an exemption or to get vaccinated

According to Intel, employees were notified by the company that those who remain unvaccinated must get the COVID-19 vaccination or request an exemption before January 4. They could be placed on unpaid leave if they don’t, according to The Associated Press, and The Oregonian.

According to both publications, Intel’s head of HR Christy Pambianchi said unvaccinated employees must apply for a waiver or undergo weekly testing.

This applies even if they work remotely. According to reports, she also informed employees that the company would review religious and medical exemptions until March 15, next year. Although the company had originally set January 4th as the vaccine deadline last month it didn’t say what would happen to employees who didn’t comply

Employees who don’t qualify for the exemption will be placed on unpaid leave starting April 4, and ending on April 4, according to Pambiachi. Pambiachi also said that Intel will continue to provide healthcare benefits for those on leave.

The company cited a government mandate for federal contractors as the reason for the requirement. A federal court in Georgia blocked enforcement of the same mandate in early December, although the news agency noted that the government is appealing the ruling.

Google is also cracking down upon unvaccinated employees. They reportedly stated that they will place them on a 30-day administrative vacation if they do not get vaccinated by January 13th. 

They could face unpaid leave or even termination if they are still not vaccinated by the end of the 30-day period. Facebook, Microsoft have also enforced vaccine mandates. They require employees to get vaccinated before they reopen their offices. This has been delayed until 2022 for and companies. Apple has not gone as far as its tech peers; it has not set a vaccine mandate. However, Apple still requires employees to take regular COVID testing.

Google also announced that employees who are not exempted for religious or medical reasons must be vaccinated by January 18 or they could face repercussions, including withholding from wages or possible job loss.

Other companies have also recently tightened their COVID-19 policies on vaccines amid an increase in infections across the United States.