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Apr 12, 2001
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Apple retail employees at around 100 stores will need to go back to wearing a mask while working, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple is mandating masks for employees again due to a rising number of COVID cases across the United States.

apple-store-palo-alto.jpg

Customers who visit an Apple Store are not required to wear a mask at this time, but Apple is continuing to recommend masks for all Apple Store visitors.

Apple has been shifting its operating policies throughout the pandemic to keep in line with local regulations and to mitigate risk for employees and customers in areas where COVID is spiking. Apple stopped requiring masks in March when COVID levels were lower, and masks still aren't required for employees in all locations.


In addition to requiring masks for retail employees at some locations, Apple today told corporate employees that they must go back to wearing masks when in common areas. Apple is also maintaining its two day in-office work week for corporate employees for the time being, and will delay going to a three-day work week.

Article Link: Apple Reinstating Employee Mask Mandate at Approximately 100 U.S. Retail Stores
 
I don't understand how requiring masks only for employees helps either employees or customers. Not that I think either group should be required to wear them at this point.

Looking more broadly, employees can go out without masks in a variety of environments outside of work, but suddenly requiring masks in this one scenario somehow protects them?
 
At what point will these companies realize that you cannot outrun a pandemic nor prevent it. Wearing masks just delays the inevitable. Common sense would indicate the reason why the numbers were so low a few months ago is because nearly everyone caught omnicron and we had a “herd” immunity of some sort. Stop trying to outrun this thing. If it runs it’s course, it will eventually subside
 
Yeah no. I am done with wearing masks.
My office removed the mask mandate and we had 1/3 our staff get sick. I chose to continue wearing a mask and had to work with no support staff and deal with angry clients because of the wait times. I was so run down and tired I had to use some of my vacation to rest. Total BS and completely unfair because I chose to do the right thing and everyone else jumped at the opportunity to take their masks off ASAP.

I still have to come in on my days off because staff is calling in sick. I haven’t been sick for as long as I’ve been wearing a mask. I just get burned out from covering everyone else.
 
At what point will these companies realize that you cannot outrun a pandemic nor prevent it. Wearing masks just delays the inevitable. Common sense would indicate the reason why the numbers were so low a few months ago is because nearly everyone caught omnicron and we had a “herd” immunity of some sort. Stop trying to outrun this thing. If it runs it’s course, it will eventually subside
Because if everyone got sick at the same time it would put too much strain on the hospitals. It keeps things more manageable for society.
 
I don't understand how requiring masks only for employees helps either employees or customers. Not that I think either group should be required to wear them at this point.

Looking more broadly, employees can go out without masks in a variety of environments outside of work, but suddenly requiring masks in this one scenario somehow protects them?

It's called probability. There is a not so small number of employees who continue to wear masks outside of work. If someone is sick at work, it also helps reduce the spread.

It's 2022 and some people are still questioning basic concepts like this?
 
Wearing masks just delays the inevitable.
You figured it out - the purpose is to prevent an overload of critical infrastructure like hospitals, and to reduce the size of outbreaks impacting essential services like transportation and food processing.

How did the human race ever survive without masks?

We didn’t have globalization and quick travel to spread disease - you’d just have a village or few ‘disappear’. The Spanish flu outbreak of 1918-1920 was really spread by troops returning home from WWI.

Big domestic issue back then in managing spread? People refused to wear masks
 
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