Delta Variant and Reopening plans Forum

[Anonymous User]

I love how this forum has taken "i want to remote for work/life reasons" and lawyered it into "I need to be remote for health reasons." If you're vaccinated (and assume a booster), there's a lower chance of u being hospitalized than being in a car crash from ur firm's free uber (assuming ur 25-55). This is also true for other high risk people - the vaccine works incredibly well. 95% of the hospitalizations are non-vax which is incredible. Covid is not going away - how would a respiratory virus be mitigated completely anyway? If you like remote that's your prerogative but let's not do the REMOTE IS A PUBLIC HEALTH NECESSITY dance when the #s don't bear that out for vaxxed people.

[Anonymous User]

I love how this forum has taken "i want to remote for work/life reasons" and lawyered it into "I need to be remote for health reasons." If you're vaccinated (and assume a booster), there's a lower chance of u being hospitalized than being in a car crash from ur firm's free uber (assuming ur 25-55). This is also true for other high risk people - the vaccine works incredibly well. 95% of the hospitalizations are non-vax which is incredible. Covid is not going away - how would a respiratory virus be mitigated completely anyway? If you like remote that's your prerogative but let's not do the REMOTE IS A PUBLIC HEALTH NECESSITY dance when the #s don't bear that out for vaxxed people.

What you're saying is true. Vaccinated people have very low chance of being hospitalized or dying from it. But the thing is, unvaccinated people can get Delta from vaccinated people. And 50% of US people just won't get vaccinated.

[Anonymous User]

I love how this forum has taken "i want to remote for work/life reasons" and lawyered it into "I need to be remote for health reasons." If you're vaccinated (and assume a booster), there's a lower chance of u being hospitalized than being in a car crash from ur firm's free uber (assuming ur 25-55). This is also true for other high risk people - the vaccine works incredibly well. 95% of the hospitalizations are non-vax which is incredible. Covid is not going away - how would a respiratory virus be mitigated completely anyway? If you like remote that's your prerogative but let's not do the REMOTE IS A PUBLIC HEALTH NECESSITY dance when the #s don't bear that out for vaxxed people.

Mitigating the spread of this virus reduces the pace at which the virus adapts and evolves. That alone should outweigh whatever costs are associated with WFH.

[Monochromatic Oeuvre]

I love how this forum has taken "i want to remote for work/life reasons" and lawyered it into "I need to be remote for health reasons." If you're vaccinated (and assume a booster), there's a lower chance of u being hospitalized than being in a car crash from ur firm's free uber (assuming ur 25-55). This is also true for other high risk people - the vaccine works incredibly well. 95% of the hospitalizations are non-vax which is incredible. Covid is not going away - how would a respiratory virus be mitigated completely anyway? If you like remote that's your prerogative but let's not do the REMOTE IS A PUBLIC HEALTH NECESSITY dance when the #s don't bear that out for vaxxed people.

It's not really about current numbers. The current surge happened in large part because a lack of mitigation allowed enough spread to create mutations that were more contagious. It's lucky that the current dominant variant is highly neutralized by the vaccines, because the next one might not be. There's no assurance booster shots would be functional and available before something else spreads again.

I would have thought 18 months and 600,000 people would have taught people to be a little less confident in what they think they can predict about this virus and a little less willing to play with fire, but if you want to be the guinea pig for that so you can italicize commas in person instead of remotely, go ahead. Just leave me the fuck out of it.

[nixy]

I love how this forum has taken "i want to remote for work/life reasons" and lawyered it into "I need to be remote for health reasons." If you're vaccinated (and assume a booster), there's a lower chance of u being hospitalized than being in a car crash from ur firm's free uber (assuming ur 25-55). This is also true for other high risk people - the vaccine works incredibly well. 95% of the hospitalizations are non-vax which is incredible. Covid is not going away - how would a respiratory virus be mitigated completely anyway? If you like remote that's your prerogative but let's not do the REMOTE IS A PUBLIC HEALTH NECESSITY dance when the #s don't bear that out for vaxxed people.

The problem is all those pesky unvaxxed people running around.

(now, enough people won't/can't work remotely that I'm not sure lawyers doing so is going to move the needle very much, but that doesn't make the general principle ridiculous.)

[Anonymous User]

Something like 85% of the world's pop is unvaxxed. The US with a 60% fully vaxxed adult pop and metro areas with a higher vaxxed pop. are very unlikely to be where mutation is going to occur.

With mandatory vaccines I don't really see how remote is necessary for public health unless you want to say this job is now remote for the rest of time. Honestly I wouldn't mind remote forever lol but I don't see the evidence for firm's going that direction on COVID #s alone.

[bretby]

Something like 85% of the world's pop is unvaxxed. The US with a 60% fully vaxxed adult pop and metro areas with a higher vaxxed pop. are very unlikely to be where mutation is going to occur.

With mandatory vaccines I don't really see how remote is necessary for public health unless you want to say this job is now remote for the rest of time. Honestly I wouldn't mind remote forever lol but I don't see the evidence for firm's going that direction on COVID #s alone.

But there are people with young children who cannot be vaccinated yet (and the timeline for the under-5s still looks pretty far off, coupled with a number of recent stories about the increased severity of Delta in children). And in-person work does not just mean interacting with the people in your office (where there may be a mandatory vaccine), but also all the people you encounter commuting to work/in the elevator/etc. Once the news came out that vaccinated people can spread Delta to unvaccinated people, given that many people have young children in their lives, a mandatory return policy made less sense. Unless they want to exempt all people who have others in their household who cannot receive the vaccine.

[FedFan123]

I love how this forum has taken "i want to remote for work/life reasons" and lawyered it into "I need to be remote for health reasons." If you're vaccinated (and assume a booster), there's a lower chance of u being hospitalized than being in a car crash from ur firm's free uber (assuming ur 25-55). This is also true for other high risk people - the vaccine works incredibly well. 95% of the hospitalizations are non-vax which is incredible. Covid is not going away - how would a respiratory virus be mitigated completely anyway? If you like remote that's your prerogative but let's not do the REMOTE IS A PUBLIC HEALTH NECESSITY dance when the #s don't bear that out for vaxxed people.

It's not really about current numbers. The current surge happened in large part because a lack of mitigation allowed enough spread to create mutations that were more contagious. It's lucky that the current dominant variant is highly neutralized by the vaccines, because the next one might not be. There's no assurance booster shots would be functional and available before something else spreads again.

I would have thought 18 months and 600,000 people would have taught people to be a little less confident in what they think they can predict about this virus and a little less willing to play with fire, but if you want to be the guinea pig for that so you can italicize commas in person instead of remotely, go ahead. Just leave me the fuck out of it.

Come on man - you’re supposed to un-italicize commas

[LBJ's Hair]

They're delaying reopening b/c they don't want to commit to anything when they don't know what life is gonna be like w/Delta a month from now, which I get. That's it.

Maybe it turns out delta is more dangerous than we think for vaccinated. Maybe it actually can harm children.

There's not much evidence for this today, but they're law firms. They're risk-averse, and while the current WFH system is second-best, it's mostly working.

(Also, a lot of partners are still living out of their vacation homes, which is fun. I honestly think that's a not-insignificant factor lmao.)

[Anonymous User]

Milbank just announced it is requiring masks in shared spaces, including conference rooms and shared offices. Everyone is also required to be fully vaccinated. No word on changing the September 13 return to office date.

Can't wait to sit in a mask all day. Absolutely absurd. Just extend work from home.

[Bdgerald]

Milbank just announced it is requiring masks in shared spaces, including conference rooms and shared offices. Everyone is also required to be fully vaccinated. No word on changing the September 13 return to office date.

Can't wait to sit in a mask all day. Absolutely absurd. Just extend work from home.

I would just not go in

If it's still unsafe enough to require masks then it's too unsafe to go in at all

[Anonymous User]

Milbank just announced it is requiring masks in shared spaces, including conference rooms and shared offices. Everyone is also required to be fully vaccinated. No word on changing the September 13 return to office date.

Can't wait to sit in a mask all day. Absolutely absurd. Just extend work from home.

I would just not go in

If it's still unsafe enough to require masks then it's too unsafe to go in at all

Mayer Brown delayed a return until at least mid October

[Monochromatic Oeuvre]

Something like 85% of the world's pop is unvaxxed. The US with a 60% fully vaxxed adult pop and metro areas with a higher vaxxed pop. are very unlikely to be where mutation is going to occur.

With mandatory vaccines I don't really see how remote is necessary for public health unless you want to say this job is now remote for the rest of time. Honestly I wouldn't mind remote forever lol but I don't see the evidence for firm's going that direction on COVID #s alone.

The percentage of residents that are vaccinated isn't the most relevant factor for determining the likelihood of a mutation. It's really more about spread. More reproduction = more chances for mutation. The amount of vaccination hesitancy plus the sheer size of the country means the U.S. continues to be one of the primary places for new variants to develop. It's why there have been at least a dozen that were first identified here. And the U.S. is far and away the leader in current reported cases. So yes, it is indeed highly likely new variants will develop here. Whether any strains that resist current vaccines become dominant still remains to be seen, but there is certainly good reason for caution.

And again--why wouldn't you be cautious when almost everything you do is digital? It's irrelevant whether I send you my docs from down the hall or Timbuktu.

Guess we will have to get put the coffee machine chitchat on hold though. Think of how the esteemed culture of Greenberg Traurig will suffer!

[Dahl]

Don’t see how it matters where a mutation develops, there’s very little chance it won’t make its way to NYC quickly once it does develop.

On top of that, many people are nearing the six month anniversary of their second shot (in particular those with underlying conditions who were first in line) when efficacy begins to wane. Being risk adverse in this situation when there’s little downside to being so just seems like a no brainer.

[Anonymous User]

Milbank just announced it is requiring masks in shared spaces, including conference rooms and shared offices. Everyone is also required to be fully vaccinated. No word on changing the September 13 return to office date.

Can't wait to sit in a mask all day. Absolutely absurd. Just extend work from home.

Who would have thought that Cravath, of all NY firms, is the most reasonable one this time?

[Anonymous User]

Milbank just announced it is requiring masks in shared spaces, including conference rooms and shared offices. Everyone is also required to be fully vaccinated. No word on changing the September 13 return to office date.

Can't wait to sit in a mask all day. Absolutely absurd. Just extend work from home.

LOL

[Anonymous User]

Wilmer:

Reopening pushed to October 4 at the earliest

Vaccine mandate

WFH flexibility will continue. Three days a week in office is encouraged, but not required (subject to decisions made intra-practice group)

Start dates remain the same, onboarding and orientation events will be virtual

[Anonymous User]

Goodwin pushed from September 13th to November 8th

[Anonymous User]

my v5 is still targeting Labor Day reopen and is "monitoring" the Delta situation

[Anonymous User]

my v5 is still targeting Labor Day reopen and is "monitoring" the Delta situation

Yea Skadden needs to get its shit together and just postpone the damn return date

[Anonymous User]

my v5 is still targeting Labor Day reopen and is "monitoring" the Delta situation

Yea Skadden needs to get its shit together and just postpone the damn return date

Is this Skadden? Might be silly but that makes me less inclined to accept their SA offer.

[Anonymous User]

my v5 is still targeting Labor Day reopen and is "monitoring" the Delta situation

Yea Skadden needs to get its shit together and just postpone the damn return date

Is this Skadden? Might be silly but that makes me less inclined to accept their SA offer.

Come on Skadden. Just postpone... Why so stubborn...

[Anonymous User]

my v5 is still targeting Labor Day reopen and is "monitoring" the Delta situation

Yea Skadden needs to get its shit together and just postpone the damn return date

Is this Skadden? Might be silly but that makes me less inclined to accept their SA offer.

Come on Skadden. Just postpone... Why so stubborn...

SA anon here. This just rings all sorts of alarms from my pre law career. Could be wrong but this strikes me as a face time obsessed, must be in the office because we have some weird vision of our CuLtUrE (or worse think our staff won't work unless we babysit them) management. No thanks.

[cisscum]

Milbank just announced it is requiring masks in shared spaces, including conference rooms and shared offices. Everyone is also required to be fully vaccinated. No word on changing the September 13 return to office date.

Can't wait to sit in a mask all day. Absolutely absurd. Just extend work from home.

Who would have thought that Cravath, of all NY firms, is the most reasonable one this time?

What did cravath do?

[Anonymous User]

my v5 is still targeting Labor Day reopen and is "monitoring" the Delta situation

Yea Skadden needs to get its shit together and just postpone the damn return date

Is this Skadden? Might be silly but that makes me less inclined to accept their SA offer.

original anon—not talking about Skadden