The company will shutter 11 stores across Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Arizona this weekend, it said Friday.
“Due to current COVID-19 conditions in some of the communities we serve, we are temporarily closing stores in these areas,” Apple (AAPL) said 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.”
All four states have seen large spikes in cases in recent days, with experts saying Florida in particular could emerge as a new epicenter.
Apple had previously placed several restrictions and requirements on the stores it reopened, with some offering only curbside pickup and others mandating face coverings and temperature checks to enter.
“These are not decisions we rush into — and a store opening in no way means that we won’t take the preventative step of closing it again should local conditions warrant,” Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of retail and people, said in a statement last month.
The company has 510 stores worldwide, 271 of which are in the US.
The following stores will be closing temporarily starting this weekend:
- Waterside Shops
- Coconut Point
North Carolina
- Southpark
- Northlake Mall
South Carolina
- Haywood Mall
- Chandler Fashion Center
- Scottsdale Fashion Square
- Arrowhead
- SanTan Village
- Scottsdale Quarter
- La Encantada
Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_topstories/~3/VS-O0ibdQJY/index.html
