Apple reopening some of its US retail stores in four states next week
Apple reopening some of its US retail stores in four states next week
Some Apple Stores will reopen next week after being shut down in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Apple will soon reopen its first stores in the United States after recently closing all locations outside of Greater China amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’re excited to begin reopening stores in the US next week, starting with some stores in Idaho, South Carolina, Alabama, and Alaska,” Apple said in a statement shared with TechRepublic on May 8. “Our team is constantly monitoring local heath data and government guidance, and as soon as we can safely open our stores, we will.”
SEE: Apple Macbook Air 2020: Cheat sheet (Free PDF) (TechRepublic)
Apple has one Apple Store in Idaho, two stores in South Carolina, two stores in Alabama, and one store in Alaska. So far, only the Idaho store’s website reveals a reopening, starting Monday, May 11, with limited hours from 11 am to 7 pm. A notice on the site indicates that the store is following social distancing measures, which means customers may have to wait in line before entering and must wear face masks while in the store.
Apple’s statement provided further details on the measures being implemented at the reopened stores.
“With many working and learning from home, our primary focus will be providing service and support at the Genius Bar,” Apple said. “We’ll open initially with additional safety procedures including temperature checks, social distancing, and face coverings to ensure customers and employees continue to stay healthy. Our new social distance protocol allows for a limited number of visitors in the store at one time so there may be a delay for walk-in customers. We recommend, where possible, customers buy online for contactless delivery or in-store pick up.”
On March 14, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that all stores outside of Greater China would be closed until March 27 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. A few days later that deadline was amended to say that the stores would be closed “until further notice.” At the same time, Cook said that the stores in Greater China (which includes mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan) would reopen as the rate of COVID-19 infections “dramatically declined” across those regions.
Since then, Apple has gradually been reopening stores in certain countries and locations.
On April 18, the store in Seoul, South Korea, reopened with limited hours of 12 pm to 8 pm, and that’s now expanded slightly to 12 pm to 9 pm. On May 5, the store in Vienna, Austria reopened, becoming the first Apple location in Europe and outside Asia-Pacific to again allow customers to go inside. And on May 7, Apple reopened 21 of its 22 stores in Australia, with only the Sydney store still closed due to renovations. All of websites for the reopened stores also instruct visitors to follow certain social distancing rules.
There are more than 500 Apple Stores around the world with 272 locations in the United States.
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The Apple Store in Santa Monica, California.
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