Apple is set to reopen its retail stores in Alabama, Alaska, Idaho, and South Carolina next week. The vast majority of its stores outside of China have been closed for more than a month amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Advertisement
In a statement to CNBC, Apple said its decision was based on local health data and government guidance and that it felt, in specific areas, it was safe to reopen. A number of precautions will be taken, it said, to protect customers and employees, including temperature checks and limiting store capacity.
In late-February, Apple reopened most of its stores in China as covid-19 cases in the country plummeted.
“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,” Apple said in a statement, per CNBC.
The reopenings will be welcome news for some Apple customers who may have dropped off their devices for repairs earlier in the year but were unable to retrieve them after stores were shuttered in March. The company said the reopened stores would focus primarily on repairs.