Twitter Shuts Down NYC & SF Offices - CDC Guidelines

Twitter Recloses New York and San Francisco Offices

Following a brief reopening of its New York and San Francisco locations, social media company Twitter announced on Wednesday the immediate closure of these offices.

This decision was made following a thorough review of the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), alongside an assessment of the prevailing circumstances.

Statement from Twitter

According to a company spokesperson, “Twitter has decided to close its recently reopened offices in New York and San Francisco and will also postpone any further office reopenings, with the changes taking effect immediately.”

The spokesperson further stated that the company will continue to monitor local health conditions closely and implement adjustments as needed to ensure the well-being of its employees, referred to as “Tweeps.”

The offices had initially reopened on July 12th. The company did not disclose the number of employees working at each location.

CDC Recommendations and Industry Response

The CDC recently advised that individuals who are fully vaccinated should resume wearing masks in indoor settings within areas experiencing high rates of COVID-19 transmission. This recommendation stems from concerns regarding the increased contagiousness of the Delta variant.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced earlier that vaccination will be mandatory for employees returning to work on-site. This was communicated in a letter to Google/Alphabet staff, which also detailed an extension of the work-from-home policy until October 18th, due to the ongoing spread of the Delta variant globally.

Policies at Other Tech Companies

Facebook’s VP of people, Lori Goler, confirmed to TechCrunch that a similar vaccination policy will be implemented for the social media platform.

Amazon responded to inquiries by stating that it “strongly encourages Amazon employees and contractors to be vaccinated as soon as COVID-19 vaccines are available to them.”

Summary of Company Actions

• Twitter: Closed New York and San Francisco offices, paused future reopenings.
• Google: Mandatory vaccination for on-site return, extended work-from-home policy.
• Facebook: Implementing a similar vaccination policy.
• Amazon: Strongly encourages vaccination for employees and contractors.