What you need to know
- Apple is reopening 10 more stores in China, following a period of extended closure.
- Apple closed its entire China operation out of an "abundance of caution" at the beginning of February.
- It reopened its Beijing stores on February 14.
Apple is reopening 10 more stores across China, after a period of extended closure due to concerns about the coronavirus outbreak.
Apple's store page websites confirm that 10 stores across the country will reopen for special, shortened business hours on February 19. The full list of stores is as follows:
Guangzhou
Dalian
Qingdao
Shanghai
Chengdu
Of note is Apple's Qingdao store, which was the first to be closed in the wake of the coronavirus (now named COVID-19) outbreak. All of the stores will operate special, shortened business hours between either 11 or 12:00 and 18:00. (You can confirm specific times by following the link to each store) All other stores in the country will remain closed for the foreseeable future.
Customers visiting Apple's reopened Beijing stores on February 14 were asked to enter the store wearing masks and had their temperature checked before entering, it's likely that similar measures may be in place in other reopening stores.
The human impact of the COVID-19 virus continues to unfold, with the most recent reports suggesting that the death toll has passed 2,000 and that more than 75,000 people have been infected. Only about a thousand of those cases are outside mainland China. (CNN)
Recent reports have suggested that as factories struggle to ramp up production after periods of extended closures and worker shortages, the impact on global iPhone supply could continue until April. Concerns over the outbreak also lead to several companies withdrawing from MWC 2020, eventually leading to its cancellation. Apple has also issued a statement confirming that it will not meet its Q2 earnings guidance as a result of the devastation.
