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Cerner Offices to Remain Closed for 2020

The company announced Thursday its plans to keep its offices closed for at least several more months due to the continued spread of COVID-19.

Cerner Corp. made an announcement Thursday to employees revealing plans to have staff continue working from home through the end of 2020.

The decision was made as reports in recent weeks show a rise in COVID-19 cases throughout the Kansas City metro and several parts of the U.S.

This means that the earliest Cerner expects to open is in 2021.

Cerner is the area’s largest private-sector employer with 13,377 local full-time-equivalent employees. The company’s office footprint is equally large, with its North Kansas City headquarters campus joined by campuses in Kansas City, Kan., and two in southeast Kansas City.

Even before the announcement was made by Cerner’s CEO, Brent Shafer, there are signs that the decision was made earlier.

Compass Group, which operates cafeterias in area Cerner buildings, said in a July 7 WARN Act filing that it had been notified that Cerner would not reopen its Kansas City locations before the end of the calendar year.

As of July 15, employees working for Compass at Cerner locations in the metro were laid off as a result of the filing.

Back in March, Cerner made the decision to send all non-essential employees home to work remotely. Official reopening plans have yet to be confirmed.