Amazon workers and others near The Spheres on the company's Seattle headquarters campus. (GeekWire File Photo / Kurt Schlosser) Will other companies

Downtown Seattle has made steady progress toward Mayor Bruce Harrell’s goal of converting the area into a more residential neighborhood this year. The Downtown Seattle Association publishes monthly data regarding the downtown’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Beginning Thursday, Amazon employees will be required to work in the office five days a week. CEO Andy Jassy sent out a message to employees about the change Sept. 16. Like many other companies, Amazon’s corporate employees worked remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are pros and cons to Amazon’s return-to-work rule that takes affect this week, both for those working at the Seattle-based company and for for others in regions where offices are

Traffic impacts are expected in the Seattle area as Amazon workers return to the office full-time. “This was far beyond a delay, this was sending people to the streets in a third-world country in the wee hours of the night and asking them to fend for themselves with no solutions.

Amazon employees will return to the office full time beginning on Thursday. The e-commerce giant previously allowed employees to work from home three days a week but announced the full-time return to office buildings last September.