Apple To Shutter 30 More US Stores Again Amid Pandemic

As instances of the coronavirus quickly increase in a number of regions across the nation, Apple plans to shutter 30 more stores in the United States on Thursday (July 2) at the latest. The tech company, which has 271 retail shops in the United States, has recently closed 47 stores again, CNBC reported.

Locations in California, Alabama, Idaho, Georgia, Oklahoma, Nevada and Louisiana are set to shutter on Thursday, while shops in Mississippi, Texas, Florida and Utah were shuttered as of Wednesday (July 1). The closures announced on Wednesday include many stores in the vicinity of Los Angeles and the last two open stores in Florida.

A representative of the tech company said, per the report, “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.”

Apple locations are usually located in highly trafficked malls and shopping centers. Their reclosures reportedly are a negative barometer of the ease with which retail operations are able to resume throughout the country.

The tech company was one of the original firms to close its retail locations globally due to the coronavirus. Stores began to open again domestically with an emphasis on curbside service, with safety measures that included temperature checks and masks.

The news comes as Apple was set to close seven of its retail locations in the area of Houston on Thursday (June 25). Stores that had been slated for reclosure include locations at the Woodlands, Houston Galleria, Highland Village, First Colony Mall, Baybrook, Memorial City and Willowbrook Mall. Apple had previously reclosed shops in Arizona, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina for similar reasons.