What you need to know
- Wear your masks again.
- The mandate returns five weeks after it ended in some locations.
- Concerns over Omicron.
Apple has reinstated mask requirements at all U.S. retail stores because of rising COVID-19 cases. The renewed mandate is effective immediately and was first reported by Bloomberg Terminal.
In November, Apple announced plans to eliminate masks in various retail locations in the U.S. as COVID-19 cases began to fall alongside increased vaccinations. About five weeks later, the iPhone maker has done an about-face with the uncertainly surrounding the new Omicron variant and rising COVID-19 cases. The move comes in the thick of the holiday shopping season.
Breaking on @theterminal: Apple is reinstating its mask mandate at all U.S. retail stores today on rising Covid-19 cases (the mandate had been dropped at about half of its stores). The company will also begin limiting store occupancy once again at several locations.Breaking on @theterminal: Apple is reinstating its mask mandate at all U.S. retail stores today on rising Covid-19 cases (the mandate had been dropped at about half of its stores). The company will also begin limiting store occupancy once again at several locations.— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) December 14, 2021December 14, 2021
In a tweet, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said that some U.S. locations will also begin limiting store occupancy at some sites.
Just hours before this news, The Wall Street Journal reported on the results of a new South African study that looked at the new Omicron variant. The study is described as the "first large real-world study" about how two shots of Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE's Covid-19 vaccine are holding up against the variant.
The study found that Omicron reduced vaccine effectiveness against infection from 80% to 33%. However, the vaccines are still proving effective in protecting against hospitalizations. With Omicron, the percentage dropped from 93% to 70%.
Since COVID-19 first arrived in 2020, Apple has often changed its stance on whether customers and employees were required to wear masks in stores and Apple campuses. Decisions, including the one made today, have followed rises and falls in current infection rates. For example, in July, the company began requiring employees to wear masks once again.
We've reached out to Apple about its decision to reinstitute a mask mandate at all U.S. stores. We'll update this post when we hear back.
