Frieden spoke to human resource executives during a CNBC Workforce Executive Council virtual event recently and cautioned executives to “prepare for at least eight to 12 months of this situation.” The reason people want to go back to the office is to feel a sense of normalcy again, but according to Frieden, “even with a vaccine, there is no going back to normal anytime soon.“ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb Meanwhile, in May, Twitter gave its employees a similar option to remain remote, and Nationwide Insurance is shutting down many of its offices and also telling employees to work from home permanently. RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. Experts believe it’s unlikely offices could return to business as usual before we achieve herd immunity, which is when a sufficiently high proportion of a population develops immunity to an infectious disease either via exposure or getting a vaccine. Michael Osterholm, PhD, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy at the University of Minnesota, told CNBC that 7 to 9 percent of the U.S. population has had COVID-19, but we need at least 50 percent of the population to do so to reach herd immunity. On top of that, it seems improbable that a vaccine would be widely available for office workers to return to their cubicles anytime soon. So, settle in for a year of working beside your pet in your pajamas. And for the states that are hitting a turning point with COVID, check out Dr. Fauci Says These 4 States’ COVID Cases Are “Coming Back Down.”
