The situation is crazy in USA. With 47k increase new cases yesterday, it is horrible.
As per USA/CA/Santa Clara county, all companies are forced to provide cubicle space with certain length, height and width. They need to maintain highly sanitized facilities, keep 6 feet distance apart from each employee, have thermometer at work spot to measure the temperature…etc. This is to avoid diseases like Covid getting spread at company environment.
When one worker got COVID-19 in our workspace, company evacuated entire building holding 300 people, deep sanitize the building. They may not know how many people in the building got spread by COVID, asked all 300 people stay at home for 14 days. Whoever is not affected after 14 days allowed to come.
This cycle repeats when next worker gets sick at that building. If COVID spreads at work, results death, who is accountable?
I am not talking about hypothetical situation, my company goes through these steps every time one employee gets sick inside the building. Now, they locked the gates mandatory and no one is allowed to enter the building without prior permission. We need justify reason why to enter building, take a mandatory training, and then visit the office.
There are chances at least 5 workers out 1000 will get COVID in any company.
This is across USA, every state is working of office standards to protect the workers ! It is nightmare cost for companies to maintain such standards be it Austin or Bay area.
Medicine? There is no hope for next 1 year through 3 years, by that time entire US people would have crossed the COVID virus.
With such condition, there is no chance for bay area tech companies to open the door any time until real medicine is available.
This made permanent WFH are not extremes and is the safest way for companies to run now.