Apple delays return to offices indefinitely, gives each employee $1,000 for equipment

CUPERTINO, Calif. -- Apple will delay bringing its workers back to the office until a "yet to be determined" date while giving all of its corporate and retail employees $1,000 to buy equipment for their home offices.

The development was shared with Apple employees in an email from CEO Tim Cook on Wednesday, according to multiple reports. Apple confirmed the details of the email to CNN Business.

The Silicon Valley giant's move comes amid a rise in Covid-19 cases and concerns about the spread of the Omicron variant. Earlier this week, Apple reinstated a mask mandate at all of its US stores and is reportedly also closing some of them because of a surge in cases.

Several companies including Google, Lyft, Uber, and Amazon have also pushed back their reopening dates multiple times as uncertainty around the pandemic continues.

Early on in the pandemic, several companies including Google and Facebook also offered their employees $1,000 bonuses to help with work-from-home expenses.

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