Amazon pushes back office reopening until 2022 in 'US and other countries'

Announcement follows Microsoft and Google's similar decisions

Amazon has become the latest tech giant to push back the date for the reopening of its offices, telling its corporate and tech employees that they will not return until January 2022.

The push back will apply in the US and some other countries, according to a report from CNBC, and goes further than the announcements made by Google and Microsoft recently - which both postponed the reopening of offices until October.

But unlike its two competitors, Amazon is yet to tell its staff that they will be required to get vaccinated in order to return to the office, though CNBC also reports that it will require employees to wear masks in the office unless they can show proof of vaccination.

"As we continue to closely watch local conditions related to COVID-19, we are adjusting our guidance for corporate employees," Amazon said in a statement.

The company had originally told its staff in March that it was looking to return to an "office-centric culture" as its baseline to make collaboration easier.

But it later U-turned on that approach and issued updated guidance, instead telling its corporate employees that they could work remotely for two days a week, while four full weeks in a year can be worked outside of the office.