San Francisco, Aug 20 (IANS): Apple has delayed return to office until at least January 2022, as the US witnesses a surge in cases of the delta variant of Covid-19.

The iPhone maker said the employees would get a month's notice before they rejoin work in-person, reports The Verge, citing an internal email.

"I know there are feeling of frustration that the pandemic is not yet behind us. For many colleagues around the world, this period has been a time of great tragedy, suffering, and heartbreak. Please know that we are all here to support one another and stand with one another during such challenging times," said, Deirdre O'Brien, senior vice president of people and retail.

In June, Apple CEO Tim Cook had said that employees would need to return to offices three days a week starting in early September. That date was then moved to at least October.

Some employees have pushed back against Apple's hybrid model at workplace.

Earlier, Facebook also delayed its return-to-office plans till early next year.

Microsoft has also pushed its full office reopening date from September to "no earlier than October 4, 2021".

Twitter has shut offices in US, and Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said the company will require employees to be vaccinated before returning to the office in the later part of the year.

Amazon has also announced to delay its return-to-office timeline by January 2022.

The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 37,291,739 and 625,153, respectively.