Apple Stores to stop Apple Watch, AirPod try-ons due to coronavirus

Apple will still let you if you ask, but to maintain distance and hygiene amidst the coronavirus outbreak, the staff will not be encouraging you to try on the Apple Watch and the AirPods.

FILE PHOTO: An Apple Store employee shows the new Series 5 Apple Watch during the preview of the redesigned and reimagined Apple Fifth Avenue store in New York, US, September 19, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo (REUTERS)

Coronavirus has hit the tech industry hard. Not just have offices and stores been temporarily been shut with employees being prompted to work from home, global sales and supplies have also been hit.

The virus has also affected the tech industry in some subtle ways, like for example, Apple has told Apple Store employees to discourage customers from trying on products like the Apple Watch and the AirPods.

According to reports that quote "sources familiar to the matter", Apple will let you try these devices out if you ask, but they will not be encouraging it or offering the option.

The report also claims that Apple has reduced the number of chairs and stools in stores to promote distance between customers. They have also boosted cleaning staff and installed hand sanitiser stations across stores and have allowed employees to take sick leave without it affecting their usual allotment.

An Apple spokesperson has confirmed that the company is taking steps to limit crowding , however, they have not mentioned whether these 'try-ons' were included in measures.

The report states that it is unclear if all Apple Stores have implemented these policies or not but the company is taking steps to minimize the spread of the virus that has now been declared a pandemic by WHO.

Apple has closed all its 17 stores in Italy in compliance to a national order that allowed only essential public businesses like grocery stories and pharmacies to remain open.