Ever since Omicron, a variant of the virus originating from Africa, emerged in America the guidelines had been starting to get more relevant towards others. As the realization kicks in, many are getting tested and are on high demand for vaccines. Because of how dangerous Omicron is said to be, Starbucks, one of the largest companies in the world, has already been taking safety precautions towards the variant.

Starting February 9th, all employees working for Starbucks must go through weekly testing or be vaccinated if they want to continue working at any of the establishments. With Omicron, personal testing became more popular for people as they might not feel comfortable with going out to get one. However, home tests won’t be as much of an efficient solution than most might think. “Employees who aren’t vaccinated must be tested by a doctor or pharmacist, not an at-home test, and they must obtain and pay for the tests on their own,” Starbucks told employees on January 3rd.

Vaccine mandates are starting to go through because of a statement by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration asking companies with more than 100 employees to require vaccines and tests. “My responsibility, and that of every leader, is to do whatever we can to help keep you safe and create the safest work environment possible,” states Starbucks Chief Operating Officer, John Culver, in a letter sent to employees around the end of December.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are recommended for a 2-shot vaccine and Johnson and Johnson is recommended for a 1-shot. It’s unknown if these new requirements will change the employee rate for the company and what type of impressions it will leave towards others who might not know about this.