Shoppers wear protective face masks outside an Apple Inc store. at the Americana at Brand mall in Glendale, California, on Thursday, May 6, 2021.
Bing Guan | Bloomberg | beautiful pictures
Customers at Apple Stores in the United States will be required to wear masks to shop as Covid cases increase around the country.
Previously, Apple only required masks in select US stores in regions that required them. Tuesday’s announcement means Apple will require them for shoppers even in states that don’t require masks indoors.
The mask duty resumption raises questions about how normal the holiday shopping season will be as coronavirus restrictions are reintroduced because of growing concern about the Omnicron variant, seems easier to transmit.
“We regularly monitor conditions and we will adjust our health measures in stores to support the health of our customers and employees,” an Apple spokesperson said. “In light of increased cases in many communities, we are now asking all customers to join our team members to wear masks when visiting our stores.”
Apple closed all of its stores in 2020 in response to the Covid pandemic, and since all of its US stores reopened earlier this year, it has asked its store employees to I wear masks and sanitize public areas. Apple has adjusted individual store policies to meet regional conditions in locations, including by emphasizing online pickup instead of in-store shopping and increasing social distancing. Assembly inside the store.
But Apple still faces challenges with fake cases among employees. A store in Texas closed last week after several employees tested positive for Covid. NBC News reported.
Cases are also increasing across the country. According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the United States is reporting nearly 120,000 new cases per day, a 25% increase from pre-Thanksgiving.
California, where Apple’s headquarters are located, impose a mask duty in the house on Monday effective this weekend.
