Apple closing all stores worldwide outside China

Apple has closed all its stores outside of Greater China in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

According to a company statement, all of Apple’s retail stores outside China will be closed until March 27 however, its online store and “Apple store” app remain open.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company’s experiences while trading in China earlier this year drove the decision.

“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,” the company said in the statement.

Apple said in all its offices outside Greater China, it is moving to a “flexible work arrangement”, which means team members will work remotely if their job allows. All hourly workers will continue to be paid “in alignment with business-as-usual operations”.

Apple shut down all its stores in Mainland China in early February when the country was heavily affected by the outbreak. Recently, it has progressively reopened stores and all 42 outlets in Mainland China have now resumed normal business.