Facebook office return delayed until 2022 in the US

Specifically citing concerns about a rise in cases of the delta variant of COVID-19, Facebook confirmed a Bloomberg report that it has pushed back plans for US workers to return to the office until next year.

Data, not dates, is what drives our approach for returning to the office. 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 of 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.

Just a few weeks ago, Facebook was still planning to have fully reopened offices by October with requirements for vaccination and masking. Now, with an eye toward local data on infections, the 50 percent return in September and ramp up to full capacity are months further away. Offices outside the US may reopen later this year, depending on the situation locally.

In the spring we noted that, like Microsoft and Uber, Facebook was scheduling its office reopenings. Now, like Amazon, it’s responding to a new wave of infections by delaying pandemic reopenings until January 2022.