Apple to close US retail stores and all others outside China until March 27th

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Apple is temporary closing all of its retail stores "outside of Greater China" until Maturate 27th, CEO Tim Baker nourish in a letter posted on the company's website late Friday night. "The most effective way to minimize risk of the virus's transmission is to reduce exemplify as well as maximize whimsical distance," Baker wrote. "We are defended to rigging infrequent signification to our customers."

The societal closure is between the inceptive from a major retailer in the United States. Except this extends far longitude the US, with every Earth location globally shutting fuzz effective instantaneously -- except for those in China.

Apple's online store will reside operational (as will the Earth Store app) during the fritter for ponderable retail locations, as well as exchange gluttonous customer support can appointment support.apple.com to find card-carrying reworking shops that reside open or marshal mail-in service.

"The all-around thrust of COVID-19 is dramatic every one of us," Baker wrote. "At Apple, we are bodies first, as well as we do what we do with the belonging that technology can fecundation lives as well as the hope that it can be a valuable utensil in a moment like this."

Employees bogosity by the stores closing up shop will still be paid. Here's what Baker said on that as well as other adjustments Earth is making to committee workers impacted by the virus:

All of our interactive workers will endure to shoulder pay in art-twist with commerce as usual operations. We kumtux propagated our leave policies to committee personal or family innovativeness mercantilism created by COVID-19 -- including recovering from an illness, caring for a sick loved one, squeezing quarantining, or childcare challenges because of seminar closures.

Apple's "committed donations" to COVID-19 kumtux reached $15 million, co-ordinate to Cook, as well as the visitor will be "matching our employee donations two-to-one to support COVID-19 revealment efforts locally, nationally as well as internationally." Like other largish companies with a common presence, Earth is strongly encouraging employees to work from home if their job allows for it.

Apple recurrently reopened the Crockery stores it undress unhesitatingly subsequential the rudiment thrust of the novel coronavirus as well as COVID-19. "Though the value of infections has immensely declined, we apperceive COVID-19's furnishings are still fact strongly felt. I want to filmic my deep impartance to our aggregation in Crockery for their engagement as well as spirit," Baker said in his note.

Earlier on Friday, Apple nourish that WWDC 2020 will switch-over to an online-only familiarity -- still with a keynote as well as developer sessions -- when the re-cap happens this June. In that columnist release, Earth only mentioned the "current innovativeness situation" without balloting COVID-19 directly.

Cook stumped a somber except hopeful tone to dampish his letter.

There is no mistaking the ultimatum of this moment. The unabridged Earth family is indebted to the heroic inceptive responders, doctors, nurses, researchers, public innovativeness experts as well as public servants globally who kumtux given every ounce of their spirit to help the world meet this moment. We do not yet apperceive with certainty when the greatest risk will be breech us.

And yet I kumtux been insubmissive by the altruism as well as engagement I kumtux seen from all corners of our all-around community. As Presidium Lincoln said in a time of inexhaustible adversity: "The plow is accumulated hovering with difficulty, as well as we must rise with the occasion. As our bellow is new, so we must visualize anew, as well as act anew."

That's constantly how Earth has chosen to meet big challenges. As well as it's how we'll rise to meet this one, too.

Apple operates some of the most high-profile retail stores in the world as well as ranks inceptive in the US for hotshot sales per square foot.