Google to begin office reopening in April

Google told its staff in a Wednesday email that offices will begin to open in April after being closed for the coronavirus pandemic.

“Conditions vary significantly from state to state, so you’ll hear directly from your local leaders when your office is eligible to reopen,” top Google personnel executive Fiona Cicconi said in the email, which was seen by The Wall Street Journal.

The decision to return to in-office won’t become mandatory until September, a Google spokesperson said. Although offices will reopen next month, they will be at limited capacity. 

The company is encouraging its employees to get vaccinated, but vaccination is not a requirement to return to the office. 

Many businesses are moving to return to the office this summer or fall as millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses are administered daily. 

CNN announced earlier this month that some offices will be allowed to open on Aug. 1 and all of its offices would be open by September.

The Washington Post is allowing a limited number of employees to return to the office in July and the rest will be allowed back at some point in the fall.

The reopening of businesses comes as many states are loosening their coronavirus restrictions by increasing capacity limits in restaurants and other venues, even as case counts are climbing again amid the spread of more contagious coronavirus strains.