Apple to shut its stores in US as coronavirus precautionary measure

Apple has taken a step back in its efforts to reopen its stores around the world, with all six of its retail outlets in the US' Michigan closed as a preventative measure.

The six outlets in the state closed on Friday, confirmed by Apple as a "temporary" measure "due to current Covid-19 conditions" in the state.

Store listings for the six confirm they are closed for the foreseeable future, with no indication as to when they will reopen to the public, reports AppleInsider.

"We take this step with an abundance of caution as we closely monitor the situation and look forward to having our teams and customers back as soon as possible," the company was quoted as saying.

While the stores are immediately closed, they will still be performing any pre-arranged tasks with customers over the following few days, the report said.

The store pages advise they are currently still open for pickup of existing online orders, previously scheduled in-store Genius Support appointments, and any already-reserved one-on-one shopping sessions with a specialist, until April 18.

Recently, the tech giant decided to shut down 20 stores in France as the country entered its third phase of Covid-19 lockdown.

"We will soon close temporarily," said a notice on the Apple Opera Paris' site (in translation).

"For the moment, we are open for the collection of current online orders, and assistance at the Genius Bar for appointments already scheduled before Saturday, April 3," it added.

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