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January 3rd, 2022 
Awake Goy Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has changed its return-to-office plans for employees and is now asking eligible U.S. staff to work from home until Jan. 18.
Goldman’s offices will continue to remain open with previously announced COVID-19 safety protocols which include a vaccine and booster requirement for eligible persons, bi-weekly testing, and mandatory masks, according to a company spokesperson who spoke to Reuters.
The Epoch Times has contacted a Goldman Sachs spokesperson for comment.
The American multinational investment bank and financial services company, which is headquartered in New York City, last month informed U.S. employees who are returning to offices they would need to get a COVID-19 booster shot, if eligible, by Feb. 1 in order to enter company premises.
Workers were also told they would need to get tested twice a week starting Jan. 10, Bloomberg reported.
“It’s an aberration that we’re going to correct as quickly as possible,” Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon told Credit Suisse analyst Susan Katzke during Goldman’s Virtual Financial Services Forum, in reference to employees working remotely.
“This is not a new normal,” he added while noting that the company was making every effort to prevent no-direct-contact remote work.
New York recorded over 85,000 new COVID-19 cases on the last day of 2021, the highest one-day total in the state since the pandemic began, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced.
“As we fight the winter surge, we need to keep the most vulnerable among us in mind—do what you can to keep others in your community safe from COVID-19,” Hochul said in a statement announcing the record-breaking figures.
“Wear a mask, wash your hands, and take advantage of the best tool we have at our disposal—the vaccine. If you haven’t gotten your second dose, do so as soon as possible and get your booster if you’re eligible. We will continue to make vaccines, boosters, and testing more widely available as part of our Winter Surge Plan so we can continue to keep each other safe,” Hochul said.
As of Jan. 1, 69.8 percent of all New Yorkers were fully vaccinated.
After he was sworn into his new position in Times Square on New Year’s Day, New York Mayor Eric Adams signed two separate executive orders in an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19.
The first order will continue the city’s state of emergency pertaining to the pandemic, which was initially put in place by former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration.
The second order extends the city’s “Key to NYC” program, which mandates COVID-19 vaccine passports for multiple indoor settings, including for dining, entertainment, and fitness venues. The vaccination requirements apply to those aged 5 and older.
The executive orders come as countries around the world impose tighter restrictions on citizens in response to the Omicron variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which have created holiday chaos in the United States, prompting thousands of flight cancellations.
Goldman was one of the main companies pushing for employees to return to their offices. Wells Fargo, Jefferies Financial Group, Citigroup, and Bank of America have also delayed their return-to-office plans for employees.
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Katabella Roberts is a reporter currently based in Turkey. She covers news and business for The Epoch Times, focusing primarily on the United States.
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