Apple Stores in the US will keep mask mandates in place, for now

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Apple’s retail operation has adjusted to changing situations worldwide, but it isn’t changing direction based on the latest CDC public health recommendations. According to Bloomberg, it has informed US retail stores that for now, mask mandates and other COVID-19 procedures will remain in place, even as more people in the country are getting vaccinated.

That is in line with some retailers like Target and CVS, while others like Walmart and Trader Joe’s have already dropped nationwide mask requirements. Apple’s policies can also be flexible to local situations, as 9to5Mac notes that as the number of cases in Michigan rose over recent weeks, stores there were closed and then reopened as Express locations. Apple experimented with the format late last year, where stores are walled off with windows where customers are served one at a time. As the pandemic (hopefully) continues to wane, it will be interesting to see which policies are rolled back — and when — and which ones stick around for good.