The United Nations Headquarters in New York will increase the number of staff working from the office this month as more than 88% of employees have already been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, UN associate spokesperson Florencia Soto Nino said on Monday
UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st November, 2021) The United Nations Headquarters in New York will increase the number of staff working from the office this month as more than 88% of employees have already been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, UN associate spokesperson Florencia Soto Nino said on Monday.
"The overwhelming majority of staff have reported that they have been fully vaccinated. Given this, starting on November 15, staff members will no longer telework for up to four days a week," Soto Nino said in a press briefing.
When asked for details on numbers, Soto Nino said, "88.17% of UN staff in New York have been fully vaccinated."
The decision to bring employees back to the compound in Midtown Manhattan after 20 months of working remotely was made considering additional factors, including the improving epidemiological conditions in New York and the United States' reopening for international travel on November 8, Soto Nino said.
She pointed out that managers were asked to afford flexibility according to "lessons learned over the past 20 months" on adaptability and flexibility of UN working methods.
Inside the UN premises, all personnel will still be required to wear masks in common areas, such as enclosed meeting spaces, corridors, elevators and restaurants. However, vaccinated staff will no longer be required to be masked while working in their offices or individual stations, Soto Nino said.
Since New York's full reopening for business on July 1, the United Nations compound on Manhattan has remained relatively empty after the COVID-19 pandemic severely hit the city in March 2020 and made it the epicenter of the world's health crisis for months ahead.
The majority of UN personnel opted to work from remote locations instead of commuting to the office as the organization adapted virtual means to continue its work.
