On Friday, Apple announced that it would reopen a handful of stores in four U.S. states beginning next week, in the first resumption of physical retail after the company shut several stores, to prevent the transmission of coronavirus.
In Alabama, Alaska, Idaho, and South Carolina, the company said it would open “some” stores. Apple has two stores in both South Carolina and Alabama but didn’t mention which ones would be re-opening. The store in Boise, Idaho, is scheduled to open Monday, with others to follow later this week.
Apple executives in each region where the company has physical stores are to decide when to reopen, particularly by reviewing local health data at county and city level. Apple has locations in many U.S. states, such as Texas and Georgia, where state laws, in theory, would allow it to reopen stores, but it has not yet announced plans to do so.
Apple said in a statement:
“Our team is constantly monitoring local heath data and government guidance, and as soon as we can safely open our stores, we will,”
In the four states where Apple stores will reopen, new policies will be in place similar to policies that are already in place in countries that have already begun to open retail stores South Korea, Australia, and Austria.
Before entering stores, customers and employees will be required to undergo temperature controls and wear masks, although Apple will provide a mask if customers don’t have one of their own. Social-distancing regulations will restrict the number of customers in the store at one time, which Apple said can cause delays for walk-in customers. Hand Sanitizer dispensers will also be deployed in all stores.
Apple will continue to offer demonstration devices in stores for customers to use, but they will regularly be washed by workers.
The Panthera Post 