Apple Giving Retail Workers Experiencing Coronavirus Symptoms Unlimited Sick Leave - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Giving Retail Workers Experiencing Coronavirus Symptoms Unlimited Sick Leave

Along with allowing corporate employees to work from home for the next week, Apple has also told its hourly and retail employees that it is providing unlimited sick leave to those experiencing coronavirus symptoms.

applestorepaloalto
Apple's hourly employees, which includes retail staff, are not required to submit a doctor's note if time off is required, according to details obtained by 9to5Mac. Apple's new policy will make it easier for employees who have COVID-19 symptoms to take necessary time off of work.

Apple has not closed any of its retail stores located in the United States at this time, but as we reported earlier today, Today at Apple sessions have been canceled in Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area, which are two areas with the most coronavirus cases in the U.S.

Apple is also tweaking some of its stores to cut down on the number of chairs at the Genius bar and the number of seating cubes in the Forum, which will provide more physical space between customers. Device cleanings are also being done more regularly to limit the spread of germs.

Apple over the weekend sent out a memo suggesting corporate employees in the United States, South Korea, Japan, Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, and the UK work from home for the next week. Many other tech companies have recommended similar measures for their employees in an effort to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further.

Popular Stories

Apple Passeig de Gracia

Apple's Beautiful Barcelona Store Reopens With Pickup Station and More

Tuesday May 26, 2026 12:10 pm PDT by
Apple's beautiful Passeig de Gràcia store in the heart of Barcelona reopened today, after being closed for around three months for renovations. According to the Spanish blog Applesfera, the store's large video wall has been replaced with a dedicated Apple Pickup station for online orders. The indoor trees and wood cube seats that surrounded the screen have also been removed. With these...
Apple Towson Town Center

Apple is Permanently Closing Three U.S. Stores This Month

Wednesday June 3, 2026 12:28 pm PDT by
Apple will be permanently closing three of its retail stores in the U.S. on the evening of Saturday, June 20, according to its website. Apple Towson Town Center The locations that are closing: Apple Trumbull in Trumbull, Connecticut Apple North County in Escondido, California Apple Towson Town Center in Towson, Maryland In April, Apple said it made the "difficult decision" to close...
macOS 27 on MacBook Pro

Apple Says macOS 27 Won't Be Compatible With These Macs

Wednesday June 3, 2026 8:29 am PDT by
During WWDC 2025, Apple revealed that macOS 26 Tahoe would be the final major macOS version for Intel-based Macs. macOS 27 will be compatible with Apple silicon Macs only, meaning that you will need a Mac with an M-series chip or a MacBook Neo with an A18 Pro chip in order to install the software update. Apple will unveil macOS 27 during its WWDC 2026 keynote this Monday, June 8, and the...

Top Rated Comments

82 months ago

Sweet!!!

So basically if I have a lingering post-viral cough or am feeling a little bit tired, I can be off for 6 months?
Yes I guess you can. But thats the problems with people nowadays they think like you.Always trying to get a free ride in life. A company tries to help employees then someone with your kind of thinking has to take advantage of the situation.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
82 months ago

Exactly as above^

It has to be paid time off otherwise sick employees will still return to work to get paid - to be able to make rent and expenses - especially hourly workers that don't make much money. Most people live pay check to pay check and a two week loss of pay can wipe them out.
It was a problem at the last company I worked for every winter - still clearly sick employees returning to work because they had used up their PTO and HAD to earn a paycheck
See above, Post# 6.


Sweet!!!

So basically if I have a lingering post-viral cough or am feeling a little bit tired, I can be off for 6 months?
Why is cheating the system Sweet!!! ?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
82 months ago

Sweet!!!

So basically if I have a lingering post-viral cough or am feeling a little bit tired, I can be off for 6 months?
What an incredibly wrong take.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
82 months ago

Unless it is paid time off they are fostering an environment where people put others at risk because they can’t afford to take time off. Apple might give them sick leave but their landlord won’t. Nor will their student loan repayments or utilities.
Relax. Apple's sick leave is paid.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
4jasontv Avatar
82 months ago
Unless it is paid time off they are fostering an environment where people put others at risk because they can’t afford to take time off. Apple might give them sick leave but their landlord won’t. Nor will their student loan repayments or utilities.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
miniyou64 Avatar
82 months ago
Apple should have been cleaning those nasty, greasy, in-store devices this frequently all along
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)