Amazon delays office return to January 2022 as rise of Delta variant thwarts corporate plans

Amazon told employees Thursday that it will delay its timeline for returning to regular work in the office until early next year.

The new date: Jan. 3, 2022. Previously, Amazon had expected employees to start working in the office regularly the week of Sept. 7.

However, Amazon stopped short of implementing a vaccine mandate for those who do work in the office, as companies including Microsoft, Google, and Facebook have done. Amazon said it requires employees to wear masks in the office, except for those who can verify they’ve been fully vaccinated.

Amazon informed employees of the new timeline in a message this morning, and confirmed the details in a statement to GeekWire.

Its decision ups the ante for corporate responses to the rise of the COVID-19 Delta variant. Microsoft earlier this week said the full reopening of its U.S. workplaces will now take place no earlier than Oct. 4. Google and Apple currently have similar timelines.

The role of Amazon and other tech giants as bellwethers for such decisions means that other companies often follow their lead.

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