Apple CEO Tim Cook announced late Friday that the company would be closing all stores outside greater China until March 27 in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Wrote Cook in a statement: “Apple’s committed donations to the global COVID-19 response — both to help treat those who are sick and to help lessen the economic and community impacts of the pandemic — today reached $15 million worldwide. We’re also announcing that we are matching our employee donations two-to-one to support COVID-19 response efforts locally, nationally and internationally. I want to recognize Apple’s family in Greater China. Though the rate of infections has dramatically declined, we know COVID-19’s effects are still being strongly felt. 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.”
“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,” Cook added. “As rates of new infections continue to grow in other places, we’re taking additional steps to protect our team members and customers.We will be closing all of our retail stores outside of Greater China until March 27. We are committed to providing exceptional service to our customers. Our online stores are open at www.apple.com, or you can download the Apple Store app on the App Store.”
