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Google on Friday said it has begun offering free at-home COVID-19 tests to its staff in the US, the latest perk for a company known for providing lavish benefits to its employees.
The tests are available through BioIQ, an Atlanta-based healthcare vendor that Google is partnering with to distribute the kits. Full-time staff and interns can take two tests a week. The program for now is open to Google's 90,000 US employees, but the company plans to expand it globally next year, a spokesman said.
Employees can order the tests through BioIQ's website. They'll receive PCR-based nasal swab tests, which they can then send off to labs to be processed. The company said the testing is encouraged, but not required. The Wall Street Journal earlier reported the news.
The news comes as health care workers in the US began this week to administer the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Still, several counties in Google's home state of California are under stay-at-home orders as health officials have worried about the capacity of hospitals.
Google was one of the first big companies to let its massive employee base work from home when the pandemic took hold earlier this year. The company this week said it's pushing back its return to offices to September 2021. The tech giant is also considering a new model for the workweek post-pandemic. The pilot plan would have people work in the office for at least three days, while working the other days remotely.
© Stephen Shankland/CNET Google headquarters in Mountain View, California
The tech giant pioneered several lavish perks for employees that have become the norm in Silicon Valley, including free food and gym service on campus. In May, CEO Sundar Pichai said the company would allow employees to expense up to $1,000 for equipment and furniture in their home offices, such as standing desks and ergonomic chairs.