The UK government said there are no plans to introduce a blanket “no jab, no job” policy in the UK but that individual companies are likely to introduce their own vaccination policies.

When asked if it was a good idea for some people to be fully vaccinated before going back to the office, transport secretary Grant Shapps told Sky News: “Yes it is a good idea and yes some companies will require it. We are not going to make that legislation that every adult has to be double vaccinated before they go back to the office, but yes it is a good idea and yes some companies will require it.”

At the moment, Facebook, Netflix and Google have only implemented the rule that staff must be vaccinated against Covid-19 before they return to the office in the US – but all have plans to expand the policy to other countries.

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, said anyone working on Google campuses will need to be vaccinated. The tech giant plans to have most of its workforce back to its offices from 18 October, instead of its previous target date of 1 September.

Pichai said: “We’re rolling this policy out in the US in the coming weeks and will expand to other regions in the coming months. The implementation will vary according to local conditions and regulations, and will not apply until vaccines are widely available in your area.”

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Netflix is making Covid vaccinations mandatory for so-called “zone A” personnel such as key cast and crew on US TV and film productions. It also plans to roll out the policy globally.

Facebook announced on Wednesday that it will require US workers returning to its offices to be vaccinated, and that it was continuing to evaluate its approach outside of the US.

In the UK there are already plans to make Covid vaccinations compulsory for care home staff. The government launched a consultation about making jabs compulsory for people working in care homes in April. It said the move would help to protect older people living in care homes, who are among the most vulnerable to Covid-19.

Care home group Barchester Healthcare has already said it will not take on new staff who refuse to have the Covid-19 injection on non-medical grounds. However, it hasn’t gone as far as firing existing staff who refuse to be vaccinated.