Apple Delays Plans for Return to Office Three Days a Week, Masks Required in Common Areas Amid Rising COVID Cases

Amid rising COVID cases across the United States, Apple will not increase the number of days that its corporate employees are required to be in the office, reports Bloomberg.

apple park sunset
Apple planned to have employees return to the office three days a week on May 23, but that target date is now being delayed. Right now, Apple employees are required to be in the office twice per week, and Apple plans to stick to that schedule for the foreseeable future.

Employees who are in the office will be required to wear masks in common areas to limit the spread of the virus.

Corporate Apple employees in the United States began returning to in person work on Monday, April 11. Apple started with a one day per week in-office requirement, and on May 2, started requiring employees to be in the office two days per week.

There is no word on when Apple plans to shift to the three day per week schedule, but when that happens, employees will be required to be in the office on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, with most able to work remotely on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 18 Pro Max Rumored to Deliver Next-Level Battery Life

Friday February 6, 2026 5:14 am PST by
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a bigger battery for continued best-in-class battery life, according to a known Weibo leaker. Citing supply chain information, the Weibo user known as "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a battery capacity of 5,100 to 5,200 mAh. Combined with the efficiency improvements of the A20 Pro chip, made with TSMC's 2nm process, the...

Top Rated Comments

levitynyc Avatar
49 months ago
Just give it up. The days of everyone being in the office multiple times a week are over. You made a bad investment in commercial real estate. Deal with it.

Not just apple, companies everywhere. Maybe build more homes and residential buildings instead of large pointless offices.

I work in tech. I've gotten a dozen interview offers in the last 3 months. Not a single company is requiring being in an office at all.
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Marbles1 Avatar
49 months ago
2 days a week is more than enough to schedule meetings and workshops.

Apple's 'Monday, Tuesday and Thursday' routine seems to be designed to force people to live nearby. If it has to be 3 days at least make it e.g. Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday.

Honestly it's as if firms want to impose misery on workers.
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
julesme Avatar
49 months ago
The market will sort this out...and by that I mean, the top tech talent will likely go where there is flexibility that rewards their talent and productive output.

Companies like AirBNB appear to have it right, at least for now (work from anywhere, no pay cut).
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mikethemartian Avatar
49 months ago
Why the need for the centralized policy? Why don’t they let the group leaders decide who needs to come in and when.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Unity451 Avatar
49 months ago
One's personal feelings about COVID aside... The apple culture is built (and has always functioned) on human collaboration hence the building of the spaceship Apple Park with the common areas in the middle and throughout. Virtual interaction is not the same as face-to-face. If employees don't return to the in-person office, the company culture will suffer irreversible damage, and by extension, the products will get worse and worse.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ghostface147 Avatar
49 months ago
This should be an interesting comment section. Personally, be responsible for your own health. If you want to wear a mask, go for it. If you don’t, you do you. Follow the guidelines of your particular company.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)