Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is closing its retail stores as the coronavirus spreads in the United States.
Apple said it is re-closing more than two dozen stores in seven states starting Thursday, including its home state of California, bringing total closures in the U.S. to 77 retail outlets as coronavirus cases continue to rise throughout the country.
Apple stores will close in Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada and Oklahoma, the company said. Apple stores had closed in Florida, Mississippi, Texas and Utah earlier in the week.
Apple has taken a city-by-city approach to opening and closing stores, evaluating data for each community. In cities where stores remain open, Apple requires face coverings for employees and customers while also performing temperature checks. This approach means that some stores remain open while others are closed in the same state.
In California, many Los Angeles area stores will close Thursday as the region’s coronavirus cases rise, while a flagship store in San Francisco’s Union Square shopping district remains open. In Texas, stores in the Austin area had remained open until this week despite closings in Houston. Apple said its retail employees will continue to be paid through the store closures.
