Reopening Date For Apple Stores In China Still Unclear

As China continues to grapple with the coronavirus, Apple is at work on plans to reopen its offices and retail stores in the country. The tech company had started to close stores in January before shuttering the remaining stores as well as offices on Feb. 1, AppleInsider reported.

Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of retail and people, said in a note that AppleInsider posted on its website, “We are working toward reopening Apple’s Corporate Offices and Contact Centers in China next week. We recognize that personal movement and travel restrictions are ongoing and schools are closed in many places, and managers will be working with their teams to offer additional support. You will receive a follow up communication shortly with more information.”

O’Brien continued, “Apple’s Retail Stores are actively working to reopen at a date that will be determined next week. Additional cleaning, health protocols and local restrictions around public spaces will factor into this decision. Retail teams will receive updates from their managers on the opening date for their store and on other supportive steps we are taking.”

As previously reported, the spread of the coronavirus had caused Apple to close its corporate offices as well as 42 retail stores in mainland China through Feb. 9. The tech company previously said the decision was made with an “abundance of caution and based on the latest advice from leading health experts.” Apple’s eCommerce store will remain functioning per past reports.

The California-based tech company is also limiting business trips to China to only extremely important situations. Apple also said per past reports that additional cleaning measures were being put into place, and retail workers are getting their temperatures taken.

Apple said on its quarterly earnings call that it wasn’t sure how the coronavirus might affect its operations, and referred to the coronavirus as a “recently unfolding public health situation.” It said it was projecting a wider range of revenue for the next quarter — $63-$67 billion — because of the possibility of less money coming in from mainland China.