The rising coronavirus cases in several states have promoted Apple to shut down its Apple Stores in Arizona, South Carolina, Florida, and North Carolina on Friday, June 19, CNN reported.
According to the tech company, 11 Apple Stores will be close after the continued rise of COVID-19 cases in the United States. A spokesperson from the company announced the temporary closing of the stores in the aforementioned areas.
The rising cases of the pandemic have brought Apple to shut down its stores in various more states.
According to the company, "Due to current Covid-19 conditions in some of the communities we serve, we are temporarily closing stores in these areas. 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."
Read Also: Apple Will Upgrade Your 4th-Generation iPad To An iPad Air 2 If Brought In For Service
Rise in coronavirus cases lead to closed Apple Stores
Apple's stocks dropped on June 19 after the announcement was made to close the Apple Stores. The company advised customers who currently have products for repair in their stores to retrieve their devices during the weekend. The stores were initially closed last March but were only recently reopened.
COVID-19 cases in the United States have now reached more than 2.26 million. The number is expected to rise to 3 million in the next few weeks. The death toll is at 121,000 while 704,000 patients have recovered.
During the Apple Stores' reopening in March, safety measures were added including temperature checks, mandatory masks, and curbside pickup in particular areas. The services were also by appointment.
The company said earlier in this week that it would reopen stores in the city of New York, and they were aiming to open more than 200 stores in the U.S. by the end of the week. However, that plan may change due to the latest coronavirus numbers.
In Florida, the Apple Store included in the closures are Coconut Point and Waterside Shops; South Park and Northlake Mall in North Carolina; Haywood Mall in South Carolina; Chandler Fashion Center, Scottsdale Fashion Square, Arrowhead, SanTan Village, Scottsdale Quarter, and La Encantada in Arizona.
Also Read: Apple, Google to Terminate COVID-19 Tracking Tools When Pandemic Ends, But Here's The Catch
Updates from Apple
In other news, Apple is currently facing pressure on how it runs the app store prior to the global developers' conference which begins next Monday, June 23, the BBC reported.
In a recent Tech Times report, the company has rejected the Facebook Gaming app because of discrepancies with adhering to their guidelines.
The company has been criticized for having "hostile policies" in its fee structure, and this is different from their two EU competition probes announced within this week. Apple has also encountered criticism from politicians and other major tech companies regarding its different guidelines.
The developers' conference is a regular event hosted by the company where new product details and features are discussed. Software developers working on Apple platforms usually participate.
