Omicron Threat: Google Postpones Employee Return-to-work Plans Beyond January

According to an email from Google VP Chris Rackow, seen by CNBC, Google postponed its employee return-to-work plans indefinitely. As stated earlier it will not be requiring its employees to return to offices on January 10. In August, when the delta variant was a top concern, Google had announced plans for hybrid return-to-work till January 10, 2022.

Rackow said in the email that full-time employees will wait until the new year to assess when US offices can safely return to a "stable, long-term working environment."

"None of the US locations will adopt the hybrid working mandate on January 10 as planned," he added. Rackow said that Google will allow specific locations to decide their timelines for returning their respective local workforces to the office.

The first US case of the Omicron Covid-19 variant was reported in California prompting the decision by Google.

International travelers coming to the US will have to test within a day of departure, regardless of vaccination status, rather than the 72 hours currently required for vaccinated travelers, under new protocols early next week. The new testing rules will apply both to US citizens and foreign nationals entering the country.

In  India, the Union Health Ministry on Thursday said that two cases of Omicron variant have been discovered in the country. According to Joint Secretary of the Union Home Ministry Lav Agarwal, both cases have been identified in Karnataka.

Also Read: India to Ramp up Testing After 2 Omicron Cases Detected