Coronavirus: Apple Closes More Stores In US

The sudden increase of Coronavirus infections in the United States continues to have an impact on the tech sector and its businesses.

Earlier this week Google announced that it was delaying the limited re-opening of its US offices until September, because of the surge in the number of coronavirus cases in certain American states.

And now Apple announced it will close an additional 30 stores in the United States by Thursday, bringing the total number of US store reclosures to 77.

Store closures

Apple, it should be remembered, has a total of 271 stores in the United States, and a total 510 stores around the world.

But the firm has now confirmed that in the United States, stores in Alabama, California, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada and Oklahoma will close Thursday.

Other stores in Florida, Mississippi, Texas and Utah had been closed on Wednesday.

“Due to current Covid-19 conditions in some of the communities we serve, we are temporarily closing stores in these areas,” an Apple spokesman was quoted by CNBC as saying in a statement.

“We take this step with an abundance of caution as we closely monitor the situation and we look forward to having our teams and customers back as soon as possible,” the spokesman added.

Apple continues to take a city-by-city approach to opening and closing stores, as it evaluates Coronavirus data for each community.

In US cities where Apple stores remain open, staff and customers have to wear face masks, and temperature checks are performed on those entering the store.

Additional and frequent cleaning of the stores is also being carried out.

Coronavirus impact

Apple it should be remembered was one of the first in the world to close its stores.

As the impact of Covid-19 began to be felt in China at the start of the year, the iPad maker closed all of its stores in China in January and February (it re-opened them in April).

Then as Coronavirus infections spread out from China to the rest of the world, Apple closed all its stores worldwide, with a few exceptions.

As countries began to get on top of the Coronavirus, Apple began a gradual phased re-opening of its stores, including its retail outlets in the United States.

But the resurgence of the Coronavirus in certain parts of the United States, has necessitated store closures once again.

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