Google will provide its U.S. Google employees with free coronavirus tests they can administer weekly in their homes, the company confirmed to The Hill on Friday.
By TAL AXELROD
A spokesperson said every Google employees in the U.S., including those who work for the tech giant’s subsidiaries like YouTube, will be able to sign up for the at-home tests. The company is paying its partner BioIQ $50 per test, which will then be made available to 90,000 workers.
The tech company plans to expand the program to its international employees next year. The tests are recommended but not mandatory.
The tests involve a worker taking a self-administered nasal swab. Workers are guaranteed a test within three days of requesting one.
The program differs from other companies like Amazon that have been providing tests to workers who still have to show up to their jobs in person.
The Wall Street Journal first reported on the testing program.
The news comes as the country grapples with a surge in COVID-19 cases, with the U.S. recording over 228,000 new cases on Friday alone.
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday issued an emergency approval for a second coronavirus vaccine, clearing the path for the Trump administration to begin shipping millions more vaccine doses across the country.
Originally published at The hill