Apple Inc. dropped its mask mandate for company employees in most locations, Verge reported on Monday, quoting internal memos.
This happens even when the Covid-19 infection in the United States has increased with subvarian BA.4 and BA.5 of the Omicron variant which contributes more than 90% of infections, according to the Center for Control and Prevention of Diseases U.S. .
This subvarian has a significant mutation of the earliest version of Omicron and the protection of the vaccine is reduced from time to time.
“Don’t hesitate to keep wearing a face mask if you feel more comfortable doing it,” said the report quoting Apple in an internal email. “Also, please respect the decision of each individual to wear a mask or not.”
Apple did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comments outside of regular working hours.