Daily US Times: As coronavirus infections continue to spread, Amazon has told its US corporate staff not to return to the office until next year.
The company previously asked its employees to work from home until 7 September, but will now extend this until 3 January 2022.
The decision comes as new Covid-19 infections are in rise across America, with daily cases at an average not seen in months.
Two giant US financial institutions, Blackrock and Wells Fargo, also said they would push back their office returns.
“As we continue to closely watch local conditions related to Covid-19, we are adjusting our guidance for corporate employees,” said the online shopping giant.
The company’s policy will apply to its tech and corporate employees, but not the delivery and warehouse workers who make up the bulk of its workforce.
Staff in the United States will be affected but also some based abroad, although the online shopping giant did not specify where.
Separately, Wells Fargo said it was delaying its return to the office from 7 September, to 4 October. Wells Fargo is the biggest US bank in terms of headcount, has almost 260,000 employees.
The bank said it would also give staff eight hours of paid time off to enable them to get vaccinated.
Blackrock, an investment giant, is postponing the date it expects all staff to be back in the office by a month to 1 October.
BlackRock’s chief operating officer, Rob Goldstein, in a memo to staff: “We are following the Delta variant in different parts of the country and closely monitoring the latest guidance from public health officials and local government authorities that encourages people to wear masks in indoor public spaces in areas of substantial or high transmission.”
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