Apple is temporarily closing stores in California as cases of the virus appear

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 20: Apple CEO Tim Cook welcomes customers to the grand reopening of the Apple Fifth Avenue retail store on September 20, 2019, in New York City.

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Apple has temporarily closed all 53 California retail stores after the number of coronavirus cases reached new daily records in its home state this week. A list of stores on the phone manufacturer’s website reflects the change, which does not affect neighboring Arizona and Nevada.

The move shows how a major technology company is trying to reduce the spread of the virus to employees and consumers, despite the potential impact on the business.

“Due to the current Covid-19 conditions in some of the communities we serve, we are temporarily closing stores in these areas,” an Apple spokesman told CNBC in an email. “We are taking this step very carefully, as we are closely monitoring the situation and look forward to getting our teams and customers back as soon as possible.”

Customers can still take orders and existing products that Genius Bar has repaired in the coming days, the spokesman said.

On Friday, Bloomberg reported that Apple was temporarily closing its stores in the Los Angeles area, a day after said the state Southern California has depleted the beds of intensive care units.

California said Wednesday it has 53,711 new cases of Covid-19, beating a record 35,729 set on Sunday.

Four of the state’s five geographic regions currently adhere to stay at home orders, allowing retail stores to operate indoors at 20% capacity. Stores must apply the entrance meter and no meetings or drinks are allowed.

In March, as the virus began circulating in the United States, Apple said it would close all stores outside China by March 27. Some U.S. stores reopened for onboard services, and in early summer, Apple closed more U.S. stores as the number of cases jumped.

The closure of stores had an impact on this year’s AppleCare support business, said Luca Maestri, the company’s chief financial officer in April.

An Apple spokesman said customers can shop, get product help and find store information on the company’s website.

– CNBC’s Kif Leswing contributed to this report.

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