Facebook has once again delayed plans to return US employees to the office, amidst concerns over the more contagious COVID-19 Delta variant.
The social network initially anticipated allowing work from home conditions to continue until July 2021, providing an additional $1,000 for folks to setup a home office. It later amended that strategy, instead aiming to open departments at half capacity in September, before inviting all staff back in October.
"Data, not dates, is what drives our approach for returning to the office," Facebook said in a statement published by CNBC. "Given the recent health data showing rising COVID cases based on the delta variant, our teams in the US will not be required to go back to the office until January 2022. We expect this to be the case for some countries outside the US, as well. We continue to monitor the situation and work with experts to ensure our return to office plans prioritize everyone's safety."
Eager to return to the normalcy of in-office work, tech firms are scrambling to protect staff amid rising numbers of COVID-19 cases across the country. Twitter closed its corporate campuses in California and New York just weeks after reopening at half capacity, and Apple reinstated its in-store mask mandate for customers and staff at most of its 270-plus US retail locations.
Facebook, Google, and Netflix last month announced that all workers must be fully jabbed before coming back to campus—where face coverings are compulsory, regardless of vaccination status. Amazon, which is not yet requiring employees to be vaxxed, recently revealed a January 2022 reopening (at the earliest).