What you need to know
- Apple is reopening its first store in Italy.
- The store will reopen on May 19.
- It's the Nave de Vero store, in Marghera near Venice.
This story has been updated after Apple reversed changes to its website suggesting the Nave de Vero store would open on May 19. Apple's website currently states that the store will remain closed for the foreseeable future.
Apple has today confirmed it will reopen its first Italian Apple Store, more than two months after they were closed.
First noted by @setteBIT on Twitter, Apple has confirmed that the Nave de Vero store in Marghera, Venice, will be the first, and currently only store in the country to reopen.
The store will open on Tuesday, May 19 at 11 am local time, and will operate reduced hours for the foreseeable future. It is unclear at this stage whether Apple will be offering Genius Bar appointments or running Today at Apple sessions. The latter seems unlikely.
Apple closed all of its Italian stores on March 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic.. Italy's stores were the first outside of China to be closed due to the virus. Apple has reopened several stores in China, Korea, Australia, and Austria as well as Switzerland and Germany. It also plans to reopen several stores in the US this week.
The Navo de Vero store is operated inside a mall in Marghera, however, is not unique compared to any other stores in the country. As mentioned, all of the 16 other stores in the country remain listed as 'Temporarily closed' at this time.
Apple has put into practice safety measures to protect staff and customers as stores reopen. These include checking the temperature of employees, as well as customers before they enter the store. Some customers are also being asked to wear masks if they enter the store, and employees are also wearing them.
The reports show that Apple clearly believes it can begin to reopen some stores globally without significantly increasing the risk of infection for customers and staff alike.
Apple has since updated its website for the Nave de Vero store, reversing the change mentioned in this article. The website now shows that the store is closed for the forseeable future. It is possible changes were made in error, or as a test.
