Apple Inc. is delaying its return to office plans indefinitely, Bloomberg News reported, while the company said it has temporarily closed three stores in the United States and Canada after a rise in COVID-19 cases and exposures among the stores’ employees.
The company’s employees were previously set to return to offices on Feb. 1, according to the report, citing a memo sent by Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook.
Earlier, Google told its employees they would lose pay and eventually be fired if they did not follow the company’s vaccination rules, according to a report, while JP Morgan Chase & Co. has asked its unvaccinated staff in Manhattan to work from home.
Apple’s store closures in Miami, Annapolis, and Ottawa come a day after the company reinstated its policy requiring all customers at its stores in the United States to wear masks.
All the employees at the three stores will be tested before the stores are reopened, the company said.
Through the pandemic, Apple has closed some stores for short periods of time around the world as lockdowns were brought in and lifted.
