Cases Of COVID-19 Infection Rise, Apple Closes Eight Stores In The United States And Canada

Apple Store Illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Mikhail (Vokabre) Shcherbakov)

JAKARTA - Apple temporarily closed at least eight retail stores in the United States and Canada as COVID-19 cases soared among the public and employees.

Since Tuesday, Apple has closed stores in Dadeland, Miami; The Gardens Mall, Palm Beach; Lenox Square, Atlanta; Cumberland Mall, Atlanta; Highland Village, Houston; Summit Mall, Ohio; Pheasant Lane, New Hampshire, and Sainte-Catherine, Montreal.

Apple, based in Cupertino, California, usually shuts down retail sites when about 10 percent of its staff members test positive for COVID-19.

Such closures have become increasingly routine in recent weeks. Prior to the final round, Apple closed and reopened eight additional locations, including stores in Texas, Maryland, Hawaii, Ohio, and Ottawa.

Closures usually last a few days each. The ninth closed store, Lincoln Road in Miami Beach, is still closed. In August, Apple also temporarily closed its Charleston, South Carolina location.

"We regularly monitor conditions, and we will adjust our health measures, to support the well-being of our customers and employees," Apple said in a statement, as reported by The National News, December 23.

"We remain committed to a comprehensive approach for our team that combines routine testing with daily health checks, employee and customer masking, deep cleaning, and paid sick leave," the statement continued.

Previously, Apple said all of its workers were tested regularly and reopened stores only after each employee was tested again.

As the number of cases of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant soars worldwide, Apple has started limiting occupancy in its retail stores to promote social distancing. It has also reinstated the mandatory use of masks in all US stores, as well as reinstated plexiglass barriers to protect employees.

At the same time, Apple is adding incentives for ordering online. On Wednesday, the company introduced free two-hour shipping on its products in most metro areas. The deal runs through December 24. Usually, such a delivery costs 9 US dollars.