Amazon delays office return until next year as Covid continues to spread.

The online retail giant previously asked employees to work from home until Sept. 7, but will now extend the deadline until Jan. 3, 2022.

This comes amid a surge in new Covid infections across America, with daily cases reaching average levels not seen in months.

Two U.S. financial institutions, Wells Fargo and Blackrock, also said they would postpone returning their offices.

“As we continue to closely monitor local conditions related to Covid-19, we are adjusting our recommendations for corporate employees,” Amazon said.

The online retail giant’s policy will apply to corporate and technical employees, but not to warehouse and delivery workers, who make up the bulk of its workforce.

It will affect employees in the U.S., as well as some employees overseas, though Amazon did not specify where.

The online retail giant’s policy will apply to corporate and technical employees, but not to warehouse and delivery workers, who make up the bulk of its workforce.

It will affect not only employees in the U.S., but also some employees overseas, though Amazon did not specify where.

Separately, Wells Fargo, the largest U.S. bank by headcount, said it was moving its workforce walkout from Sept. 7 to Oct. 4.

The lending institution, which has nearly 260,000 employees, said it would give employees eight hours of paid leave to get vaccinated.

Investment giant Blackrock is moving the date for all employees to return to the office by a month to Oct. 1.

“We are monitoring the Delta variant in various parts of the country and are closely following the latest recommendations from health officials and local governments that encourage people to wear masks in enclosed public places in areas with significant or high transmission,” BlackRock Chief Operating Officer Rob Goldstein said in a memo to employees.

“We know this is a concern about returning to the office.”

The infectious variant of the Delta coronavirus is spreading rapidly across the U.S., with states such as Florida and Texas seeing high rates of new infections.

Under pressure

The vaccination slowdown is only adding to the problem, and companies are being forced to act.

Google, Facebook and Twitter have said they will delay returning to the office, with the first two companies also demanding that employees be vaccinated.

Walmart and Uber, meanwhile, have asked their executives, not rank-and-file employees, to get vaccinated, and investment giant Vanguard said Wednesday it would pay $1,000 (£792) to employees who get vaccinated.

Amazon, which does not impose mandatory vaccinations, said it will continue to follow local guidelines to ensure a safe return to the office, including asking all unvaccinated employees to wear masks in the workplace.

As previously announced, corporate employees will also be allowed to work from home two days a week under the new hybrid model.

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