Microsoft to fully reopen its headquarters on Feb 28

Microsoft has announced plans to fully reopen its offices in Washington State (its headquarters) on February 28, as Omicron-led Covid infections subside across the country.

The company said that based on improving local health metrics, its Washington state work sites will move to the sixth and final stage of the hybrid workplace model, effective February 28.

"From this date, employees will have 30 days to make adjustments to their routines and adopt the working preferences they've agreed upon with their managers," the company said in a statement late on Monday.

"Reaching this stage allows us to fully open our facilities to employees, visitors and guests. All campus services will return. Additionally, we're pleased to be joining other area businesses welcoming back more employees in the coming weeks," the tech giant added.

For nearly two years, Microsoft's hybrid workplace model has anchored each of its work sites to one of six defined stages, allowing the company to quickly adjust its guidance depending on health data, local government guidance, the availability of vaccines and vaccination rates and other considerations.

Microsoft said that it will ensure that established local testing solutions are in place and that it is aligned to all government guidance for businesses like them.

Outside of Washington state, the Bay Area sites in California, including its new Silicon Valley Campus, will fully open on February 28.

Meta (formerly Facebook) is set to reopen its offices on March 28 and employees will need to get a Covid booster jab to return to the office.

Apple employees will also need to submit proof of a Covid booster or provide negative Covid-19 rapid antigen tests to enter the workplace.

Google in December said that it will wait for some more time before opening its offices.

On January 15, the US reported confirmed Covid cases at 806,175 a day (over a seven-day rolling average), the highest America has seen since the start of the pandemic.

The average is now down about 75 per cent, at around 180,711 confirmed cases over the last seven days, according to Johns Hopkins University data.