Apple drops mask requirements for most of its corporate workers

Apple Inc is dropping its mask mandate for corporate employees at most locations, the Verge reported on Monday, citing an internal memo.

This comes even as COVID-19 infections in the United States have been on the rise with the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of the Omicron variant accounting for more than 90 per cent of infections, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

These subvariants have significant mutations from the earliest versions of Omicron and protection from vaccines wanes over time.

“Don’t hesitate to continue wearing a face mask if you feel more comfortable doing so,” the report quoted Apple as saying in the internal email. “Also, please respect every individual’s decision to wear a mask or not.”

Apple did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment outside regular business hours.