Apple Requiring Retail Employees in Some Regions to Wear Masks, Other Employees Encouraged to Do So - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Requiring Retail Employees in Some Regions to Wear Masks, Other Employees Encouraged to Do So

Amid spiking cases in the ongoing health crisis, Apple has started urging its employees to wear masks in retail store locations once again, and is mandating it in some areas, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

apple store palo alto
Apple stopped requiring fully vaccinated customers and employees to wear masks at Apple Store locations in June, but with the Delta variant spreading across the United States and impacting even those who have been vaccinated, Apple is being more cautious.


In Santa Clara County where Apple's headquarters are located, local health authorities have begun recommending that masks be worn in indoor public locations, but it is not a mandate. In Los Angeles County, masks are once again required, so Apple employees in this area will indeed be wearing masks.

All Apple stores worldwide are still open at this point in time, and it is not clear if there will be further shutdowns in any areas.

Apple had planned to have its corporate employees return to work in September, but yesterday said that those plans have been delayed until October at the earliest. Corporate employees will be given at least a month's notice before they have to return to work.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Popular Stories

Apple Store App Liquid Glass Feature

Two Apple Stores in U.S. Are Moving Soon

Friday July 10, 2026 3:15 pm PDT by
Two of Apple's retail stores in the U.S. will be relocating later this month, although they will only be a short distance from their existing locations. Apple Renaissance at Colony Park Apple Queens Center in Elmhurst, New York is moving to a temporary location in the shopping mall on Friday, July 17 at 10 a.m. local time, presumably to allow for renovations to be completed at the existing...
Tap to Pay on iPhone Wix

Apple Stores to Expand Use of 'Tap to Pay on iPhone'

Sunday July 12, 2026 9:11 am PDT by
In 2022, Apple began rolling out Tap to Pay on iPhone, a system that allows small business owners and other merchants to accept contactless payments on an iPhone, with no point-of-sale hardware required. The feature allows customers to pay by simply tapping their iPhone or Apple Watch, credit card or debit card, or other contactless payment option on the merchant's iPhone. Payment is securely...
Apple Event Logo

Apple Lists Products Eligible for Tax-Free Holidays in 10 U.S. States

Wednesday July 15, 2026 12:33 pm PDT by
Apple recently updated its website with a list of products eligible for upcoming 2026 sales tax holidays in select U.S. states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The tax-free holidays run between July 17 and August 20 depending on the state, with the exact dates in each state outlined on Apple's...

Top Rated Comments

66 months ago
Good for Apple looking out for everyone's health! Get vaccinated, people.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
66 months ago

Well, now that's absolutely false.
It’s absolutely false? Japan and the Philippines reported mask compliance at over 98% for over a year. Why didn’t COVID disappear in those countries?


The subtext is clear - the honor system of asking unvaccinated people to wear masks didn't work and so now everyone has to wear them since there's no way to tell the groups apart.
Why would everyone have to wear them if vaccines work?
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mashdots Avatar
66 months ago

Everyone wore masks for 15 months but COVID still spread like wildfire. Might as well wipe your butt with those stupid things. They’re useless against COVID except for people who are coughing and sneezing, who shouldn’t be out anyway.

We had 8 of those 15 months without vaccine

The issue is a lack of vaccinations. We started well, but now have hit a wall, states like MO aren't helping with 40% or so vaccinations. Also, Florida accounts for 1 in 5 cases across the country

Masks help, vaccinations are the answer
Not to mention, not everyone wore masks. There were tons of reports of public gatherings where people neither wore masks nor socially distanced themselves.

There's plenty of evidence pointing to the fact that they do work; people just need to stop thinking about themselves and mask up.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iGeneo Avatar
66 months ago

Everyone wore masks for 15 months but COVID still spread like wildfire. Might as well wipe your butt with those stupid things. They’re useless against COVID except for people who are coughing and sneezing, who shouldn’t be out anyway.
We had 8 of those 15 months without vaccine

The issue is a lack of vaccinations. We started well, but now have hit a wall, states like MO aren't helping with 40% or so vaccinations. Also, Florida accounts for 1 in 5 cases across the country

Masks help, vaccinations are the answer
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
66 months ago
I'm not interested in protecting anti-vaxxers.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mashdots Avatar
66 months ago

There’s no evidence masks work.
Here's just a handful of studies and articles that point to the fact that masks work.

* https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-mask/art-20485449
* https://files.fast.ai/papers/masks_lit_review.pdf
* https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2020/06/417906/still-confused-about-masks-heres-science-behind-how-face-masks-prevent
* https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20201119/how-much-does-wearing-a-mask-protect-you
* https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/coronavirus-face-masks-what-you-need-to-know
* https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/masks-save-lives-heres-what-you-need-to-know-2020111921466
* https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33087517/

They're not a perfect solution; nobody said they were. Hell, even vaccines aren't 100% effective, but they work. They reduce the spread and that's what we're trying to do here. Obviously if you want to avoid risk, it's better to stay at home or if you have to go out to practice social distancing and sanitize regularly.


We’re going to wear masks forever?
Not sure. Before COVID, I still saw the occasional traveler wearing a face mask as a precaution (I think the trend started with SARS, but I could be wrong).
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)

🔗 Related Apple News & Rumors

Stay updated with the latest Apple ecosystem news and verified rumors