Apple will re-close 14 stores in Florida as Covid-19 cases rise in the state, the company said on Thursday. The stores will re-close on Friday.
The shutdowns come after Apple re-closed seven retail stores in Texas on Wednesday, and 11 stores across Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Arizona last week. Apple has now announced the re-closing of 32 stores in the United States.
An Apple representative said in a statement: “Due to current COVID-19 conditions in some of the communities we serve, we are temporarily closing stores in these areas. We take this step with an abundance of caution as we closely monitor the situation and we look forward to having our teams and customers back as soon as possible.”
Apple stores tend to be in important shopping centers and malls, and can be seen as an indicator of how smoothly and where retail operations can re-open in the United States. The Florida closings are spread across six counties: Hillsborough, Orange, Seminole, Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade.
Apple was one of the first companies to shut its stores around the world in March in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, although some stores in the U.S. have re-opened in recent weeks with increased safety measures including mandatory masking, space for social distancing, and temperature checks. Many locations are only open for curbside pickup or service by appointment.
Here’s the full list of stores re-closing in Florida on Friday:
- The Galleria
- The Falls
- Aventura
- Lincoln Road
- Dadeland
- Brickell City Centre
- Wellington Green
- Boca Raton
- The Gardens Mall
- Millenia
- Florida Mall
- Altamonte
- International Plaza
- Brandon
— CNBC