Google 1st Big Tech firm to end Covid jab mandate for entering buildings

Tech giant Google has become the first Big Tech company to drop its Covid-19 vaccination mandate to enter its buildings, as the pandemic eases.

According to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, Google said it was dropping the Covid-19 vaccination mandate that the company implemented in December 2021, effective immediately.

In a memo to employees, the Sundar Pichai-run tech giant cited the "extraordinary time" that has passed since the onset of the Covid pandemic.

"We put in place emergency measures such as our Covid-19 vaccine policy to keep everyone safe, but now the world is in a very different place," said Chris Rackow, Google's vice president of global security.

The governments worldwide, including in the US, are lifting restrictions and ending vaccination mandates.

The Google memo came after US President Joe Biden signed the legislation that seeks to end the national emergency response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Covid-19 was declared a public health emergency by the health secretary under the Donald Trump administration on January 31, 2020, whereas Trump declared it a national emergency in March.

"Covid-19 vaccines have been a critical part of our overall strategy to keep Googlers safe, especially in the workplace. They also have the benefit of reducing the risk of severe disease if you get infected and have helped to protect vulnerable members of our community," the Google memo to employees further read.

Rackow urged employees to keep up to date with their Covid shots.

"I am proud and grateful for the resilience you've all shown as we navigated so much uncertainty -- for our company and the world -- over the past few years," he mentioned.