Coronavirus Update: Facebook Canceling Gatherings With 50 Or More Until June 2021
MENLO PARK (CBS SF) – Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said they are slowing plans to return employees to the office and canceling events with 50 or more people well into next year due to coronavirus.
In a statement on his Facebook page, Zuckerberg said such gatherings are not going to be held until June 2021 at the earliest. Some events would be held virtually instead.
The Menlo Park-based social media giant had previously canceled its F8 developer's conference scheduled for May at the McEnery San Jose Convention Center, making it an online event.
Zuckerberg also said most employees would be working from home through at least the end of May. Some critical employees who can't work remotely may be able to return sooner, but Zuckerberg noted "we don't expect to have everyone back in our offices for some time."
The Facebook CEO said some of the employees that may return earlier include content reviewers working on counterterrorism and suicide prevention, along with engineers working on complex hardware.
Zuckerberg also told employees who feel they can't return to the office because they are part of a vulnerable population or don't have childcare could plan to work from home through the summer.
"We know that most people can't work from home as easily as many of our employees can," Zuckerberg said. "We also know that when society does eventually start re-opening, it will have to open slowly in staggered waves to make sure that the people who are returning to work can do so safely and that we minimize the possibility of future outbreaks."
