While Omicron is spreading like wildfire across the United States, in New York City, the number of cases is particularly high despite vaccine mandates and passports in the city.
On Monday, the number of reported new Covid-19 cases reached 17,334, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio, who said, "We expect the case count to peak soon."
Here are today's #COVID19 indicators:
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) December 27, 2021
• 13,101,389 vaccine doses administered
• 296 new hospitalizations
• 17,334 new cases
We expect the case count to peak soon, but the time to get vaxxed, boosted and mask up is NOW:
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The surge prompted Apple to temporarily close all of its New York City stores to shoppers. Earlier this month, the company did the same to its stores in Miami, Ottawa, Ontario, and Annapolis, Md., because of rising case numbers.
"We regularly monitor conditions and we will adjust our health measures to support the well-being of customers and employees," the company said in a statement Monday. "We remain committed to a comprehensive approach for our teams that combines regular testing with daily health checks, employee and customer masking, deep cleaning and paid sick leave."
According to Bloomberg, Apple temporarily shutters a store when 10 percent of its employees have tested positive.
Customers who have placed online orders can still pick up their purchases outside the retail locations.
The move comes two weeks after Apple announced that customers in all store locations would be required to wear masks, not just in areas with mandates.