Apple Postpones 'Close Your Rings' Employee Challenge Due to Coronavirus and Store Closures

Every year in February, Apple hosts a company wide fitness challenge for all of its employees at its corporate and retail offices around the world.

Employees are tasked with closing all three of their Apple Watch Activity rings every day during the month, and those that are successful earn a reward.

Apple's 2020 challenge, which is in February because February is Heart Month, has been delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak in China and Apple's subsequent store closures. At this time, Apple has closed all stores, corporate offices, and contact centers in China in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus that has now been declared a global health emergency.

Apple earlier this week sent out the following email to employees, letting them know about the delay:

The Close Your Rings Challenge is one of those rare opportunities to bring team members and colleagues from around the world together with a common purpose to close our rings, earn some points, and have fun. With a number of our offices and stores closed in China right now and some of our team members unable to participate, we've decided to postpone the 2020 Close Your Rings Challenge. At this time, our Challenge will be removed from the Challenges app.

We'll update everyone as soon as we have a new date when we can all focus together in closing our rings!

Apple's retail and corporate locations in China are set to reopen on February 9, so the challenge could be reinstated sometime around then, though Apple may choose to wait even longer as it's unlikely concerns about the virus will have abated by then.

The 2020 challenge will reward employees who complete it with a t-shirt that says "2020" in an Apple Watch Activity Ring-style font.