Apple has lifted the strict mask mandate for COVID-19.
Apple has lifted its tight restrictions for COVID-19 as the world continues to adapt to a new normal despite still being in a pandemic.
Due to the improved regulations and the decrease in the number of cases, some businesses are resuming operations in offices instead of working from home and opting not to wear masks anymore.
Apple's Mask Mandate
Apple made an announcement through an email about lifting its mask mandate. The tech company said that in line with the current circumstances, they are now changing the current health protocols to support Apple's COVID-19 health and safety.
However, in the letter they wrote for their employees, the tech company highlighted that there will be no strict rules given that will prohibit one's choice of continuing to wear a mask.
Apple stated that to those employees who are more comfortable to not wear a mask inside the premises of the company during work hours, it will now be allowed.
The Verge obtained an internal email from Apple's COVID-19 response team saying, "We recognize that everyone's personal circumstances are different. Don't hesitate to continue wearing a face mask if you feel more comfortable doing so. "
In addition, the company also asks each and every individual to respect each and everyone's decision, whether they are wearing or not wearing a mask.
Apple's COVID-19 mask mandate will roll out to corporate employees in most locations across the country.
This action is being taken in response to an increase in the highly contagious BA.5 variant of COVID-19. This week, the Bay Area's public transit system, BART, reinstated its requirement that riders wear face masks.
With the changing times, the company encourages its employees to continuously check the Welcome Forward regularly for announcements and changes to protocols from an employee's site location, which also includes mandates from local health authorities.
Apple's Hybrid Model
Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, required its employees to return to the company's offices to resume its operations post pandemic. Cook called it the hybrid model, where employees will return to the offices for in-person work for three days every week.
Apple employees are required to be in the office at least once a week by April 11, twice a week by the end of the month, and on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays by May 23.
Back when it was first announced, Apple also stated their additional policy change, which is giving its employees eligibility to choose remote work for one month each year.
Tim Cook defended his decision to halt remote work, stating that nothing compares to the irreplaceable benefits of in-person collaboration.
However, this was met by a huge backlash from its own employees. As previously reported here on iTechPost, a plethora of employees from the company all gathered against the new mandate and sent a letter addressed to Apple's executives.
These employees stated their dissatisfaction and dismay, saying that the hybrid setup that they want to implement does not promote flexibility for them and prohibits them from continuously working remotely for more than two days per week.
This may be one of the reasons why Apple halted its resumption of in-person work again since the company received a massive backlash not just from employees but also from tech enthusiasts and the public.
This begged the question in Apple's ecosystem: if the company is confident in making products that ease up work from home, then why cannot the company do the same for its own employees?
