Washington, Jan 4 (IANS): American coffeehouse chain, Starbucks has issued a mandate for all of its employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19 by January 10, or undergo weekly coronavirus testing.

"This is an important step we can take to help more partners get vaccinated, limit the spread of Covid-19, and create choices that partners can own based on what's best for them," Xinhua news agency the company's Chief Operating Officer John Culver as saying in a letter to the employees on Monday.

"If vaccination rates rise and community spread slows, we will adapt accordingly. But if things get worse, we may have to consider additional measures. For now, my hope is that we will all do our part to protect one another," he added.

Those choosing not to get vaccinated will have to procure their own federally-approved test kits, the Seattle-based company said.

As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 countries, 15,444 of which were located in the US.