Minneapolis Delays City’s Return-to-Office Date to February

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) _ Officials in Minneapolis have pushed the city's return-to-office date back to February.

Reports say workers were due back on Jan. 10 but now have until Feb. 14 to return. The move comes after some staff took issue with going back to the office as the omicron variant surges without a vaccination requirement.

The new return-to-office date coincides with the expiration of Mayor Jacob Frey's latest public health emergency declaration.

City spokeswoman Sarah McKenzie says the delay will give the city another month to assess post-holiday COVID-19 spread.

About 60% of the city's approximately 4,000 employees are considered essential workers who have worked in-person through the pandemic.

St. Paul has not established a return-to-office date for city staff.