Three Apple Stores closed their doors to customers temporarily, starting Dec. 15, Wednesday, due to the rising COVID-19 cases in the area.
The logo of US tech giant Apple can be seen on an Apple store in Munich, southern Germany. - Apple said it planned to invest more than one billion euros ($1.2 billion) in Germany and open Europe's biggest research facility on mobile wireless semiconductors and software. The company said it would make Munich its "European Silicon Design Centre", creating hundreds of new jobs at a facility for 5G and wireless technologies.
It comes even as the holiday shopping season is close approaching, which is critical to retail stores as more people tend to flock in to buy their last-minute gifts.
As per the report by CNBC, the latest move from the Cupertino giant further shows the impact of the raging COVID pandemic and its effects on the massive shopping season before the year comes to an end.
It is worth noting that health officials have also been warning that the latest variant of the novel coronavirus, the Omicron, is more transmissible than any version of the virus we have previously encountered.
Three Apple Stores Close Down
Now, it seems that we are seeing the ill effects of the more transmissible variant of the COVID-19 with the closure of more Apple Stores.
According to the news story by The Verge, the website of the iPhone maker shows that its stores from Miami, Annapolis, and Ottawa will be temporarily closed starting today.
Both Ottawa and Annapolis will welcome their customers again on Saturday, Dec. 18. Meanwhile, the Apple Store in Miami is reopening its doors before the weekend or on Dec. 17, Friday, to be precise.
People wearing face masks look at a cellphone outside an Apple store during a May Day holiday in Shanghai on May 1, 2020. - With optimism and a heavy dose of caution, millions of Chinese hit the road or visited newly re-opened tourist sites on May 1 for an extended national holiday in a post-coronavirus confidence test.
Before the closure of three more Apple Stores, the Cupertino giant previously temporarily closed down its retail shop in Southlake, Texas due to a COVID-19 outbreak from its employees.
However, The Verge noted in the same report that the website of Apple claims that the Texas store remains to be open.
More Apple Store Closing Down: Here's Why
The temporary closure of the three more Apple Stores is due to the uptick in the COVID-19 cases in the affected areas.
It is not the first time that the tech giant decided to close down its stores due to the pandemic. In fact, back in 2020, all of its retail shops ceased operating. It only welcomed back customers earlier in 2021.
The spokesperson of Apple said in a statement that the Cupertino giant continues to "regularly monitor conditions and we will adjust health measures to support the wellbeing of customers and employees."
On top of that, the firm further assured that they are fighting COVID-19 with a "comprehensive approach" for its workforce, which includes daily health checks, regular testing, and mask mandates for both customers and employees.
Related Article: Apple Sends Memo to All Employees Stating That Return to Office Plan Starts in February 2022
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Written by Teejay Boris
