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'White powder substance' sparks evacuations at Apple's California campus, situation under control
The situation is reportedly under control and the employees are now allowed to go inside the campus.
A part of the Apple Park campus, the iPhone maker's headquarters in Cupertino, US' California, was evacuated late Tuesday after security officials discovered a white powder substance in an envelope, according to local media reports. A report by the Verge said the incident was immediately reported to the local police and a team of hazardous materials (HAZMAT) technicians was called to probe the matter.
The situation is reportedly under control and the employees are now allowed to go inside the campus. However, it is not known yet what the substance was. Meanwhile, the iPhone maker has informed its employees in an email that the material was harmless.
The email also said that the operations on the campus are back to normal and that "all sections are open", the report said.
Apple has begun calling its staff back to offices after multiple rescheduling of return-to-office plans. With Covid-19 subsiding worldwide, the company has called for a phased opening starting April with flexible policies allowing work-from-home two or three days a week.
In November last year, Apple had said workers may discuss wages, hours and working conditions. The notice came as some employees have been pushing Apple to do more to ensure there are no unfair gaps in pay across the company.
"We encourage any employee with concerns to raise them in the way they feel most comfortable, internally or externally," it wrote in a post on its internal site.
