Internet giants Google and Facebook have announced that they will require all their employees who work in their offices to be vaccinated, AFP reported, quoted by BTA.

The obligation at Google will take effect in the coming weeks in the United States, and then will cover other regions of the world, said CEO Sundar Pichai in a statement. He clarified that the rule will not apply in countries where vaccines are difficult to obtain. Exceptions are also provided for people who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.

Similarly, Facebook will require "everyone who comes to one of our campuses in the United States to be vaccinated," Lori Goller, the company's vice president, told AFP.

In June, the social network said that employees who want to work full-time from home can apply if the job allows. Facebook plans to open its offices with 50 percent capacity in September and full capacity in October.

Google announced yesterday that the date for the official return to the offices is October 18, after September 1 was initially announced as such. Since then, about 80 percent of employees have to work physically in the company's office at least three days a week. About 20 percent of employees will continue to work from their homes.