New York (AFP)

The internet giants Google and Facebook announced Wednesday that they would require all their employees brought to their premises to be vaccinated, after a wave of similar announcements from public bodies in the United States.

The obligation will be implemented at Google "in the coming weeks" in the United States, before being extended to other regions of the world "in the coming months," said Managing Director Sundar Pichai in a statement. press release, while specifying that it would not apply in countries where the vaccine is not yet readily available.

Google will soon provide details of the exceptions to this requirement "for people who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons or specific populations," the company said.

Asked by AFP about these possible exceptions, the Alphabet subsidiary did not respond immediately.

“Getting vaccinated is one of the most important ways for us and our local communities to stay healthy,” said Sundar Pichai.

Likewise, Facebook officials "will ask that anyone visiting one of our campuses in the United States be vaccinated," Vice-President Lori Goler said in a message sent to AFP.

In June, the social network told its employees that those who wanted to continue teleworking full-time could request it, if their functions permitted.

For the others, it is planned to facilitate teleworking, but it is advisable to work at least half of the time on the premises of the company.

Facebook plans to reopen its offices at 50% gauge in September and go to full capacity in October.

As for Google, it postponed the official return date in its offices to October 18 on Wednesday, after initially setting it for September 1.

As of this date, approximately 80% of the employees will have to work physically on the premises of the company at least three days a week.

The group predicts that around 20% of employees will continue to stay at home.

According to the US Federal Agency for Enforcement of Laws Against Discrimination in the Workplace (EEOC), employers can require their employees to show proof of Covid vaccination, with exceptions for medical reasons or religious objection.

Last month, the big American bank Morgan Stanley and the asset manager BlackRock had indicated that only vaccinated employees would have access to their premises, which amounted to requiring vaccination because these companies favor the return to the office.

So far, few large groups have dared to set up an obligation, a few weeks before the start of the September which will mark the return to the office for many employees.

In contrast, more and more local communities and cultural organizations are requiring vaccination, and several US media indicate that US President Joe Biden may announce the obligation for federal employees to be vaccinated or to submit to a protocol. strict testing.

© 2021 AFP