Apple says it could reopen some of its US stores this month

[midian182]

Something to look forward to: Are you missing your local Apple store? It could reopen later this month. CEO Tim Cook has said that a “few” of the outlets in the US could open in the first half of May, with stores in Australia and Austria set to reopen in the next two weeks.

Apple closed all of its China stores in early February over Covid-19 concerns. In early March, when the country recorded its first single-digit rise in infections since it started recording numbers, the company reopened all 42 of its branded stores in China.

In mid-March, Apple said it would be closing all of its retail stores outside of Greater China until March 27 as a response to Covid-19’s spread around the world, but that date was changed to “until further notice.” It did reopen a single store in South Korea but never said anything about its plans for other outlets.

Speaking to Bloomberg, Cook said Apple intends to open retail stores in Australia, where it has more than 20 outlets, and its single store in Austria within the next one to two weeks. The CEO also believes “just a few, not a large number” of stores will reopen in the US in the first half of May.

Cook said Apple is “going to look at the data and make a decision city by city, county by county, depending on the circumstances in that particular place.”

Cook’s comments echo those of Apple retail chief Deirdre O’Brien, who previously informed staff that she is aiming to reopen “many” outlets in May.

The Apple boss added that the company’s main Cupertino campus wouldn’t open until at least early June, and it would be on a staggered basis. It will use temperature checks, social distancing, and masks to protect workers. The company is also looking into Covid-19 testing for employees.

The news that Apple stores could soon be open will be welcomed by those who handed devices in for repair and never picked them up in time; they have to wait until the outlets reopen to retrieve them.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/85062-apple-could-reopen-us-stores-month.html

 

[QuantumPhysics]

I want Applewatch 6 and iPhone 12 Pro Max 1TB.

 

[VitalyT]

I want Applewatch 6 and iPhone 12 Pro Max 1TB.

Amidst the pandemic, this makes a nice gravestone inscription.

 

[Nobina]

News: Apple might do something but maybe they won't.

 

[GreenNova343]

Well, here in Ohio retail stores can start opening on Monday (5/4), as long as they follow the guidelines from the state:
-- all employees have to wear masks or other types of face coverings (I.e. neck gaiters, scarves, etc.)
-- cleaning protocols for ensuring surfaces are regularly disinfected
-- social distancing for employees & customers are maintained (includes marking off distances for line queues, limiting the number of people in the store to no more than 50% of max capacity per fire codes, or other policies such as only offering curbside services)
-- stores have the option of requiring customers to also wear masks or other face coverings (the original plan was to simply require it, but a lot of businesses pushed back on that, so now it's up to the individual businesses whether they want to require it or not)

The only issue is that, of the 2 Apple Stores I've seen, 1 is located inside a mall, so unless the mall also opens up that store won't be able to. The other one is at an "open-air mall" (Easton Town Center), so the Apple Store has its own public entrance separate from all of the other stores.

 

[wiyosaya]

 

[3ogdy]

Oh, I've missed the CrApple stores so much. I've been crying every day since they were forced to close them. Maybe I can finally stop crying soon. I keep checking their status multiple times a day but I've been disappointed so far. I can't wait to buy myself their latest copy of whatever they introduced last year.