Apple is closing stores in the Carolinas due to COVID-19 spikes. Here’s where
Apple will be closing stores in four states, including the Carolinas, in response to surging coronavirus case numbers, the company announced Friday, outlets report.
A total of 11 locations in North Carolina, South Carolina, Arizona, and Florida will be shut down by Saturday. Anyone who’s left a phone, computer or other device at the store for repair will have the weekend to pick them up, CNBC reported.
All 11 stores had reopened after an initial round of closures in March, according to the outlet.
“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,” an Apple spokesman said in a statement, to NBC News.
The two North Carolina stores slated for closure are both in Charlotte, one at the Northlake Mall, the other at the Southpark shopping center, according to Bloomberg. In South Carolina, the Haywood Mall location in Greenville will be shutting its doors.
Apple didn’t say when the stores might be reopened, Bloomberg reported.
State health officials in both Carolinas have expressed concern over COVID-19 activity in recent weeks, with North Carolina reaching all-time highs for hospitalizations, as the state considers enacting a mandatory mask policy, according to McClatchy News.
South Carolina keeps shattering daily case counts records. Its highest ever one-day total, of 987, was reported Thursday, prompting the state’s epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell to plead with the public to follow safety guidelines, McClatchy News reported.
“This virus does not spread on its own,” Bell said in a statement. “It’s spread around our state by infected people who carry it wherever they go – their work, the supermarket, the post office, a friend’s house. By not following public health precautions, many are putting all at risk.
This story was originally published June 19, 2020 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Apple is closing stores in the Carolinas due to COVID-19 spikes. Here’s where."