Apple is closing all seventeen of their company-owned retail stores in Italy “until further notice” as the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak severely curtails activity in the country.
Apple didn’t say when Italian stores will reopen, but it will “closely monitor the situation” and keep its online and phone support open.
“As we support the work to contain and manage the spread of Covid-19, our priority remains the health and safety of everyone in the communities we serve,” Apple said in a statement on Wednesday.
MacDailyNews Take: It’s obviously prudent for Apple to temporarily close all retail stores in Italy. According to Caixin, Italy remains the worst hit country outside China, with more than 10,100 infections and 631 deaths.
Prepare for the possibility of similar closures in the US of Apple Stores and any other businesses, large or small, with little or no warning.
Apple didn’t have a choice. The Italian Government has closed every store and business in the entire country (except groceries and pharmacies) until further notice. They had already shut down public gatherings, schools, and transportation.
In America, we are seeing the end of the myth that college sports are about student athletes playing “games” for the glory of Alma Mater and the entertainment of their fellow students and alumni. Playing in empty arenas shows that it’s all about the TV revenue.
ALL Apple stores should close for at least a month. This half assed pick and choose won’t stop anything. Serious measures are needed, and needed now.