(Trends Wide) — Microsoft announced Thursday that it will abandon its plans to fully reopen its offices in the United States in early October due to concerns about the delta variant of the coronavirus.
The tech giant refused to set a new opening date, but promised to give its employees 30 days notice before returning to the offices.
“Due to the uncertainty generated by covid-19, we have decided not to try to predict a new date for the total reopening of our workplaces in the United States, in favor of opening them as soon as we can safely do so, in accordance with the guidelines. public health, “said Jared Spataro, Microsoft’s corporate vice president for employment, in a blog post.
Microsoft had planned to open its Redmont, Washington headquarters and other offices in the United States as soon as October 4.
“The evolving delta variant is forcing many of us to adjust job site reopening plans,” Spataro wrote. “It is a cruel reminder that this is the new normal. Our ability to be united will have its ups and downs. “
Microsoft joins a growing list of companies that have been forced to delay their return-to-office plans. Wells Fargo, BlackRock, Trends Wide and others delayed their plans to reopen their offices after Labor Day until October.
Amazon, Facebook, and other tech companies have said they won’t be back in office until 2022, and not before.