Earlier this week, Apple stated that it would require people to wear a face mask inside all Apple Stores in the U.S. This is because of major concerns regarding a rise in the COVID-19 cases in the U.S. as well as the spread of the new Omicron variant.
Apple’s been updating its in-store policies ever since the pandemic started two years ago. One of the most common changes the company’s made is closing and opening the stores. Regarding face masks, most Apple Stores had previously stopped requiring face masks, based on their local regulations.
However, Nick Leahy, an Apple spokesperson, said that the company would start to require all customers to wear masks while in the stores, just like the employees.
Amid rising cases in many communities, we now require that all customers join our team members in wearing masks while visiting our stores.
Nick Leahy, Apple spokesperson
Apple isn’t the only big company that now requires face masks inside their stores. Other companies like Walmart, Starbucks, and McDonald’s started to ask customers to wear masks inside their stores in response to the spread of the Delta variant.
Likewise, some U.S. states have also started to require face masks indoors, such as California and New York, albeit the latter has made an exception for businesses that also require a vaccination card to enter.