Apple closes all retail stores, except those in Greater China, until further notice

Apple has shut all stores in Italy and Spain along with all stores outside Greater China recently.

FILE PHOTO: The new Apple iPhone X are seen on display at the Apple Store in Manhattan, New York, U.S., September 21, 2018. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton (REUTERS)

Apple said on Tuesday it has closed retail stores across the world until further notice, except in Greater China, as companies try to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

The iPhone maker had said on Saturday its stores would remain closed until March 27.

Most retailers have been closing shops around the globe in response to COVID-19, which has killed over 7,500 people and infected more than 187,000. Besides loss to life, the fast-spreafing virus has also disrupted supply and production chains across the world.

Apple announced on Tuesday that all their retail stores outside Greater China will be closed and remain closed until further notice. Apple had shut retail outlets outside Greater China till March 27 starting Saturday.

An Apple employee in Los Angeles has also been found to be coronavirus positive. The employee worked at Apple''s Culver City offices, reported Variety.

"A team member in our Culver City office has informed us they tested positive for COVID-19. The individual had no symptoms when they were last in the office, and remains in self-isolation at home," an Apple spokesperson said in a statement.

"We recognise this is a challenging time for our global community and our thoughts remain with those around the world personally affected by COVID-19 and the heroic medical professionals and researchers fighting it," the spokesperson added.

CEO Tim Cook had last week announced that they were temporarily closing all retail stores outside of Greater China till March 27. Cook also announced that they were committing $15 million to help with global recovery.

Cook said at all of the offices, "we are moving to flexible work arrangements worldwide outside of Greater China".

"That means team members should work remotely if their job allows, and those whose work requires them to be on site should follow guidance to maximize interpersonal space. Extensive, deep cleaning will continue at all sites. In all our offices, we are rolling out new health screenings and temperature checks," he said.

"We''re also announcing that we are matching our employee donations two-to-one to support COVID-19 response efforts locally, nationally, and internationally," he added.

(With agency inputs)