Facebook announced Thursday that it is delaying the return to its Chicago office until January. The decision was made in response to local and national health data regarding the COVID-19 pandemic delta variant.
“Given the recent health data showing rising COVID cases based on the delta variant, our teams in the U.S. will not be required to go back to the office until January 2022,” the company said in a statement. “We continue to monitor the situation and work with experts to ensure our return to office plans prioritize everyone’s safety.”
The social media giant, which has about 500 employees in Chicago, reopened its offices Aug. 2 at 25% capacity and previously planned to phase employees into the office throughout the fall. Facebook Chicago moved into new offices during the pandemic at 151 N. Franklin St.
A number of companies who were eyeing a return to the office in September have delayed their plans as cases have risen in recent weeks. The Chicago Department of Public Health reported that there were 369 confirmed cases and a test positivity rate of 3.9%, based on data updated Thursday. That’s up from 272 confirmed cases and a test positivity rate of 3.5% the prior week.