With COVID cases rising, Amazon delays return to offices to early 2022

Amazon announced Thursday that it will be delaying the return of its employees to in-person work until Jan. 3, 2022, over concerns related to the rising prevalence of the delta variant.

Facebook the first major company to bring Seattle workers back to offices

The company had originally planned to bring workers back to its offices on Sept. 7. Facing rising COVID-19 case rates in Seattle, as well as across the globe, Amazon has opted to adjust its guidance accordingly. In King County, local health officials warned recently that cases in the region have quadrupled in the last month, due in large part to the highly transmissible delta variant.

“This has been such an unusual time for all of us, and we continue to work through what we believe is the best path together,” Amazon said in a memo addressed to employees on Thursday.

After initially pushing for an “office-centric” approach once workers return, Amazon pivoted away from that strategy in June, instead opting to allow the bulk of its office employees to work from home at least two days a week.

Earlier this week, Microsoft delayed its own reopening plans to early October, after similarly targeting Sept. 7. But while Microsoft announced that it would be requiring employees at their facilities to be fully vaccinated, Amazon will not be enacting a vaccine requirement in the near term.

Microsoft delays return to office, will require workers to be vaccinated

Rather, it will instead continue to require unvaccinated workers to wear facial coverings while in-person at the company’s offices. Those with proof of vaccination are not required to mask up.

In Seattle, over 100 restaurants, bars, and music venues have all opted to begin requiring proof of vaccination for customers. That includes Ballard’s Tractor Tavern, Capitol Hill’s Canon, downtown’s Timber Room, and West Seattle’s Skylark Cafe, among many others.

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