This is how Apple will keep people safe when reopening Apple Park

Steve Jobs Theater
Steve Jobs Theater (Image credit: Rene Ritchie/iMore)

What you need to know

  • Apple is bringing some of its employees back to Apple Park.
  • They'll have to get used to some changes when they arrive at work.
  • Masks will be required and infections testing will be offered.

Apple has already started to bring some of its workers back to Apple Park following its closure due to COVID-19. More will be returning soon, and they're going to have to get used to some changes when they arrive.

As reported by Bloomberg, the Apple Park employees are returning to isn't the same one they left. Limits on the number of people allowed in certain spaces will be in place and some areas of the building will remain closed.

As the building gradually reopens, some employees are working from the Apple campus only a few days a week. Apple is also limiting the number of people allowed in confined spaces at its offices. For example, as few as two are permitted in elevators at the same time, which normally would fit as many as 10 employees. The company has also closed many break-room kitchens and has posted signs asking employees to wear masks.

Employees will also be given the option of undertaking a nasal-swab test to check for the presence of COVID-19 while temperature checks will also be compulsory for those returning to work at Apple Park.

Some of Apple's executive team is also returning to Apple Park with retail head Deirdre O'Brien already working from the office instead of her home.

Apple closed offices and stores worldwide to aid with the social distancing initiatives put in place by local governments during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stores and offices are slowly beginning to open following the relaxation of rules around the globe.

Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.