No one loves wearing a COVID-19 mask, and Apple seems to be cognizant of this, a leaked internal memo pointing towards the company lifting its mandatory mask requirement at “most locations.”
According to the memo, which was obtained by The Verge, Apple could be lifting the corporate requirement at many of its locations while still asking employees to respect co-workers who prefer to continue wearing face masks.
“Don’t hesitate to continue wearing a face mask if you feel more comfortable doing so.” The email noted, “Also please respect every individual’s decision to wear a mask or not.”
The decision to drop the mask mandates for corporate employees arrived in spite of the reported BA.5 variant of COVID-19. The Bay Area transit system reinstated its own mask mandate because of this new variant. Apple first dropped its mask mandate for corporate and retail stores in March. During that time, COVID-19 cases started decreasing. But in May, COVID-19 cases rose again, prompting Apple to reinstate its mask mandate for corporate and retail stores.
The email, which was written by Apple’s COVID-19 Response Team, does not specifically state which locations will still require employees to wear face masks. The email also cited that the decision to lift the mask mandates was “in light of recent circumstances,” but did not specifically state what those circumstances were.
The corporate lifting of the face mask mandate could be interpreted as Apple’s way of encouraging employees to return to the office. Apple began this effort back in April, but noted various reactions, both positive and negative, from employees. Some reportage even cites that a number of employees were forced to quit. In May of this year, Apple decided to slow down its RTO order and allowed employees to continue their WFH setup. Those who decided to return to the office were required to wear a face mask.
It’s unknown as to how widely this policy will spread across Apple’s corporate hemisphere, or whether Apple will continue to modify the policy given the current COVID-19 numbers across the United States.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via The Mac Observer and The Verge