Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic early last year, Apple has closed a number of its retail stores around the world. June 2021 marked the first time that all Apple Stores around the world were open simultaneously for the first time in 75 weeks, but now the company has once again decided to close some of its U.S. and Canada stores due to the new COVID-19 variant.
Per Bloomberg, Apple has temporarily closed its stores in the Miami, Maryland, and Ottawa areas in response to the rise in the number of COVID-19 cases. The news arrived only one day after Apple reinstated a mask mandate at all of its retail locations in the United States:
Apple Inc. has temporarily closed three retail stores in the U.S. and Canada after a rise in employee Covid-19 cases and exposures, the latest sign that a virus resurgence is threatening retail operations just before Christmas.
The company said that all employees will take Covid-19 tests prior to the stores reopening and that it’s staying in touch with the affected workers. Store closures due to a rise in internal Covid cases typically last for a few days.
Earlier this month, an Apple Store in Texas was shuttered due to an outbreak of COVID-19 infections among employees. The new Omicron variant now accounts for three percent of COVID-19 cases in the United States, something which has raised new concerns for Apple and other businesses.
It’s unknown as to whether Apple will close additional Apple Store retail locations.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.