Tech giants Google and Facebook have announced recently that they will be requiring vaccinations to all their employees returning to the office. According to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, the regulation would start in the United States in the coming weeks, followed by other regions in the next months. “Getting vaccinated is one of the most important ways to keep ourselves and our communities healthy in the months ahead,” Pichai said. However, Google’s original plan of ending its work-from-home period in September will wait until October 18 due to the current rise in COVID-19 Delta cases. There is no clear plan yet on how Google will implement the said policy. Meanwhile, according to Facebook Vice President of People Lori Goler, the social media giant is aiming for a “process for those who cannot be vaccinated for medical or other reasons and will be evaluating its approach in other regions as the situation evolves.”

In a recent mournful address from the East Room of the White House, US President Joe Biden announced that all government employees and contractors are required to be vaccinated or do regular testing, as he grieved the “American tragedy” of deaths among unvaccinated individuals. “Right now, too many people are dying or watching someone they love die and say, ‘If I’d just got the vaccine,’” Biden said.