Global tech giant Apple is further pushing its ‘return-to-office’ deadline beyond February 1, to  a “date yet to be determined." 

The delay has been announced citing the surge in the Covid-19 cases within the company. The information was disseminated among the workforce via a notice sent by the Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook. 

The announcement comes just weeks after the company made masks mandatory for the onsite employees. Apple announced the deadline of February 1, 2022, earlier in November. The company has been giving deadlines since June for the employees to get back to offices, but due to repeated waves of Covid-19, the dates have been pushed back. 

In the notice, Tim Cook said, “We are delaying the start of our hybrid work pilot to a date yet to be determined. Our offices remain open and many of our colleagues are coming in regularly, including our teams in Greater China and elsewhere."

Due to the increasing impact of the new variant Omicron, Cook has urged the workforce through the notice to either get fully vaccinated or get the booster shots as soon as possible. He noted, “This is by far the best way to keep you and your community safe.”

To extend monetary support to the team for the prolonged remote working, the employees will be rewarded with a bonus of $1,000. “These funds are intended to help you with your home workspace and can be used as you see fit. You will be receiving more information about this shortly," Cook said.