San Francisco: With the threat of the Omicron variant looming, Google is rethinking its plan to ask full-time staff to return to work by January 10. According to Google VP Chris Rackow, the company would not be requiring its employees to return to work on January 10 as originally planned. As the pandemic progressed, the company's return-to-work plans changed many times.

Google stated plans for hybrid return-to-work until January 10, 2022 in August, when the delta variant was a major worry. Full-time employees will wait until the New Year to assess when the US offices can safely return to a "stable, long-term working environment," according to Rackow. "On January 10, none of the US locations will implement the hybrid working mandate as planned," he continued. According to Rackow, Google will allow certain areas to set their own timeframes for resuming their local workforces.

Meanwhile, Apple is reportedly requiring staff to return to offices on February 1 as part of a hybrid work pilot programme in which employees will be able to work remotely for four weeks per year.

After the first case of the Omicron Covid-19 variant in the United States was reported in California, the federal government planned to announce a slew of measures to combat the virus, including vaccination and booster shot campaigns, increased testing requirements for travellers entering the country from abroad, and plans to make rapid at-home coronavirus testing free to more people.

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