Apple Drops Mask Mandate For Corporate Staff: Analyst Explains Why It's Not The Ideal Time

Apple Inc AAPL has updated its current COVID-19-related protocols and told its employees that wearing a face mask would no longer be required in most locations.

What Happened: The Tim Cook-led company told employees through an internal email, first noted on The Verge, that it recognized varying personal circumstances.

“Don’t hesitate to continue wearing a face mask if you feel more comfortable doing so. Also, please respect every individual’s decision to wear a mask or not,” according to the email from the company’s COVID-19 response team.

Apple-watcher and journalist Mark Gurman tweeted that masks were previously required in “public spaces” but not at desks. 

He said, “Now [the] requirement dropped altogether. Doesn’t seem like the most ideal time to do so, however.”

See Also: How To Buy Apple (AAPL) Shares

Why It Matters: Apple’s corporate headquarters is located in Cupertino, California. Santa Clara County, where Cupertino is located, is currently experiencing a “high” level of COVID-19, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The case rate for the 100,000 population in Santa Clara is 330.68 and new COVID-19 admissions in hospitals per 100,000 population are 12.9, according to the CDC.

CDC recommends wearing a mask indoors in public and on public transportation. 

The COVID-19 subvariant known as BA.5 became dominant in the United States, according to a New York Times report dating back to early July. 

BA.4 and BA.5 variants are highly infectious and have a reproductive rate of 18.6, which makes them as, if not more, transmissible than measles, according to Adrian Esterman, a professor at the University of South Australia.

Price Action: On Monday, Apple shares closed 0.6% lower at $161.51 in the regular session, according to data from Benzinga Pro. 

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