Big banks are starting to delay their return to offices in response to the Delta variant

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Wells Fargo said Thursday it would delay reopening its offices by about a month until early October, making it the largest bank yet to shift gears due to the increase in Covid-19 cases. And BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, is also delaying until October.

The announcements came a day after the U.S. bank, which had planned to bring employees across the country back to its offices on September 7, announced a delay.

“The number of cases is increasing around the world and the Delta variant has caused us to adjust our plans,” wrote Andy Cecere, CEO of the US bank, in an email to employees.

American Bank (Usb) did not announce a new date to return to the office, but said he would give employees 30 days notice.

The change in plans of Wells Fargo, BlackRock and US Bank contrasts with the stance of other major banks.

Representatives of JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and Goldman Sachs (SG) told CNN Business on Thursday that they had not changed their return-to-office policies. Goldman Sachs returned employees to the office in June, while JPMorgan staff were due to return to the office in July.

But the Delta variant could force a redesign, especially if employees indicate they aren’t comfortable cramming into crowded offices, subways, and buses.

Other companies are adjusting their plans to return to the office. Wednesday, ViacomCBS (FOLLOWING) CEO Bob Bakish told employees the company has pushed back its full opening date to October 18 at the earliest. The company previously planned to open fully by September 20, according to a spokesperson, and has already been open to employees on a voluntary basis since July 6.

“We will continue to closely monitor the impacts of the Delta Variant and the response from schools, governments and other employers as we finalize our plans to return to the office,” Bakish said in a note.

Earlier, Google (GOOGL) CEO Sundar Pichai said in a late July blog post that the company was extending its work-from-home policy until October 18.

He said in part that “We recognize that many Googlers are seeing spikes in their communities caused by the Delta variant and are concerned about returning to the office. This extension will give us time to get back to work while providing flexibility to the office. those who need it. “

If more businesses were to delay reopening their offices, it would be a blow to restaurants, bars and other small businesses that were banking on a return of office workers this fall.

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