Advertisement
UK markets close in 7 hours 11 minutes
  • FTSE 100

    7,954.08
    +22.10 (+0.28%)
     
  • FTSE 250

    19,787.04
    -23.62 (-0.12%)
     
  • AIM

    741.45
    -0.66 (-0.09%)
     
  • GBP/EUR

    1.1678
    +0.0008 (+0.07%)
     
  • GBP/USD

    1.2588
    -0.0050 (-0.39%)
     
  • Bitcoin GBP

    56,139.01
    +762.67 (+1.38%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • S&P 500

    5,248.49
    +44.91 (+0.86%)
     
  • DOW

    39,760.08
    +477.75 (+1.22%)
     
  • CRUDE OIL

    81.62
    +0.27 (+0.33%)
     
  • GOLD FUTURES

    2,213.30
    +0.60 (+0.03%)
     
  • NIKKEI 225

    40,168.07
    -594.66 (-1.46%)
     
  • HANG SENG

    16,541.42
    +148.58 (+0.91%)
     
  • DAX

    18,498.14
    +21.05 (+0.11%)
     
  • CAC 40

    8,237.01
    +32.20 (+0.39%)
     

Amazon Delays Corporate Office Return to 2022 amid Delta Variant Surge

corporate amazon
corporate amazon

getty Amazon

Amazon is the latest tech giant to extend its return-to-office date once again.

The company will not ask corporate employees to return to in-person work until the first week of 2022, PEOPLE confirmed Thursday. That's a four-month push from their previous return date of September 7.

While Amazon hasn't mandated vaccines for its employees, when staffers do return on January 3, they will be required to show proof of vaccination or else wear a mask.

Amazon's warehouse workers — who have kept the distributor profitable, fulfilling an influx of online orders throughout the pandemic — are not required to wear a mask if they have been fully vaccinated. Unvaccinated workers must still mask up.

ADVERTISEMENT

"We will continue to follow local government guidance and work closely with leading medical healthcare professionals, gathering their advice and recommendations as we go forward to ensure our work spaces are optimized for the safety of our teams," Amazon said in a statement, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Amazon Building
Amazon Building

Chesnot/Getty Amazon

RELATED: Rising Delta Cases Are Disrupting Return-to-Office Plans for Companies Around the Country

In return-to-work guidance, Amazon said that employees will be expected to be in the office three days a week, and corporate employees will have the option to work fully remote for four weeks per year.

Amazon's delay comes after similar announcements from Facebook, Twitter, Google and Apple, which have all made adjustments to their return to work plans amid concerns about the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19.

In late July, Twitter announced it is once again closing its New York and San Francisco offices. The buildings had just reopened July 12, with employees permitted to return voluntarily.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.

Twitter Headquarters
Twitter Headquarters

Justin Sullivan/Getty Twitter Headquarters

RELATED: Met Gala to Require Attendees to Be Vaccinated Against COVID-19 and Wear Masks

In addition to pushing its return-to-office date back to October 18, Google announced that all workers returning to the company's campus must be vaccinated, except for those with medical exceptions or other "protected reasons."

Facebook, which has been criticized for the spread of misinformation on its platform about COVID-19, will also require employees to be vaccinated before returning to its offices.

Apple announced last month that it had pushed back its reopening date to October, after CEO Tim Cook told employees in June to expect to be back in the office at least three days a week beginning in September.

"As the situation continues to evolve, we're committed to the same measured approach that we have taken all along," the company told employees, according to The New York Times.

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from the CDC, WHO and local public health departments.PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, click here.