Facebook delays return to office for employees until January due to Delta fears

Facebook has pushed back its office return date for all US and some international employees until January due to concerns over the highly infectious Delta variant.

The move comes days after Facebook said its US employees must get vaccinated to step into offices.

Other tech companies, including Alphabet's Google and Uber Technologies, have also said their US employees have to be vaccinated before returning to the office.

The resurgence of Covid-19 cases in the United States due to the Delta variant and the new guidance from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that requires fully vaccinated individuals to wear masks have led companies to change their plans regarding staff returning to the office, vaccinations and masks.

AT&T will require management employees to be vaccinated before entering a work location and plans to begin talks with its union partners to jointly align on a path forward for union-represented employees, a company spokesperson said on Thursday.

AT&T will implement the CDC's guidance on face coverings for its employees, regardless of vaccination status, who come in to work locations in areas with high or substantial transmission of Covid-19.

Helicopter-taxi firm Blade Air Mobility, which ferries people to luxury destinations such as The Hamptons, on Thursday mandated that starting next month its passengers must be inoculated against Covid-19.

On Wednesday, McDonald's said it would require its US-based office workers to be vaccinated against the coronavirus and will delay a return of employees to its offices until at least October.