Microsoft is finally going to fully reopen company offices in Washington state nearly two years after the pandemic started in the US.
The reopening is scheduled for Feb. 28, when the company moves into its “sixth and final stage” of its COVID-19 hybrid workplace model for Microsoft campuses.
“Reaching this stage allows us to fully open our facilities to employees, visitors, and guests,” the company said in the announcement. “Outside of Washington state, our Bay Area sites in California, including our new Silicon Valley Campus, will fully open on Feb. 28, and we anticipate many of our other US locations will follow suit as conditions allow.”
Microsoft made the decision, citing “improving local health metrics” when COVID-19 cases in the US have been on a steady decline over the past two weeks. The other factor has been the relatively high vaccination rates in the Redmond area.
“As of Feb. 8, 2022, 83.8% of eligible King County residents—where most of our Washington state employees live—have completed their vaccine series, and 91.6% have received at least one dose,” the company said.
The reopening is another sign that business is returning to normal for the US tech industry despite Omicron, the latest COVID-19 variant. The start of the pandemic in March 2020 prompted Microsoft to require most employees to work from home before moving to a hybrid workplace model, which eventually involved partially reopening some offices.
Microsoft planned on fully re-opening its company headquarters in October, but it scrapped those plans when the Delta variant caused a surge in infections.
If a new COVID-19 variant emerges, Microsoft says it could tighten office access once again. “We’re maintaining a close watch on local health data in every area where Microsoft has a physical presence, and we’ll adjust our course if necessary,” it added.
In contrast, Facebook parent Meta has delayed fully reopening US offices to March 28. Meanwhile, Apple decided to postpone its US reopening indefinitely.
