Apple Store Locations Outside of China Are Closing for Two Weeks Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

Apple has announced that all of its stores around the world (other than in China) will be closed for the next two weeks amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Tim Cook, the company’s CEO, has written a letter to the world, which is available on Apple’s website. He notes that stores in China are reopening today as the rate of infections there is dramatically declining.

“I want to express my deep gratitude to our team in China for their determination and spirit. As of today, all of our stores in Greater China have reopened. I also want to thank our operations team and partners for their remarkable efforts to restore our supply chain. What we’ve learned together has helped us all develop the best practices that are assisting enormously in our global response,” he wrote in the letter.

He added, “One of those lessons is that the most effective way to minimize risk of the virus’s transmission is to reduce density and maximize social distance. As rates of new infections continue to grow in other places, we’re taking additional steps to protect our team members and customers.”

Tim says that all hourly employees will receive their normal pay during the closure and they’ve expanded leave policy to “accommodate personal or family health circumstances created by COVID-19 — including recovering from an illness, caring for a sick loved one, mandatory quarantining, or childcare challenges due to school closures.”

Apple is making a $15 million donation to help with the global COVID-19 response and the company will also match employee donations two-to-one.