Apple. (File Photo: IANS) Apple. (File Photo: IANS)
INTERNATIONAL - Apple Inc. on Thursday told employees that its retail stores in the U.S. will remain closed and work-from-home procedures will stay in place until early May due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a memo to employees, Apple Senior Vice President of Retail and People Deirdre O’Brien told staff that the company anticipates that “flexible work arrangements will remain in place for all offices, and all retail stores will remain closed, until early May.”
She said that Apple is “continuing to monitor local conditions for every Apple facility on a daily basis” and that the company will make “reopening decisions on the basis of thorough, thoughtful reviews and the latest guidance from local governments and public health experts.”
The company is “working on options to make sure parents have the support and the flexibility to adjust their schedules as needed,” according to the note. O’Brien also added that Apple is aware “many parents are balancing homeschooling with working” and is encouraging employees to be open with management about their challenges.
O’Brien previously told staff that some stores outside of the U.S. could open as early as the first half of April, Bloomberg News has reported. In Thursday’s note, O’Brien also said that the company’s “executive team is meeting daily and closely coordinating with teams across the company.”
The Cupertino, California-based technology giant has about 270 stores in the U.S., which are part of the 458 stores outside of China, Taiwan and Hong Kong that were shuttered in March to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.