Because Of Omicron, Apple Postpones Office Policy

JAKARTA - Apple Inc postponed plans to return to the office indefinitely due to an increase in COVID-19 cases. Quoted from Bloomberg News, the company also said it had temporarily closed three stores in the United States and Canada following an increase in COVID-19 cases and exposures among store employees.

Previously, company employees were due to return to the office on February 1, according to the report, citing a memo sent by CEO Tim Cook.

According to Reuters, growing concerns over the fast-spreading variant of the Omicron coronavirus have thwarted some companies' plans to return to normal.

Google told its employees that they would lose their paychecks and eventually be fired if they didn't follow the company's vaccination rules. Meanwhile JP Morgan Chase & Co has asked its unvaccinated staff in Manhattan to work from home.

Quoted from ANTARA, Saturday, December 18, the closure of Apple stores in Miami, Annapolis and Ottawa came a day after the company reimposed its policy of requiring all customers in its stores in the US to wear masks.

All employees at the three stores will be swab tested before the stores reopen, the company said. Due to the pandemic, Apple has closed several stores for a short time around the world as coronavirus-related lockdowns are enforced and lifted.

COVID-19 cases are rising again in parts of Canada and the United States, with the Canadian government asking its residents on Wednesday (15/12) not to leave the country.