In her weekly video update, Apple’s retail chief Deirdre O’Brien told staff that she expects the company to reopen “many more” of its retail stores in May after closing all locations outside of China in March due to COVID-19.
In a message to employees at the start of April, O’Brien explained:
…We anticipate that flexible work arrangements will remain in place for all offices, and all Retail stores will remain closed, until early May. We are continuing to monitor local conditions for every Apple facility on a daily basis, and we will make our reopening decisions on the basis of thorough, thoughtful reviews and the latest guidance from local governments and public health experts.
She didn’t specify which stores or regions, but said “we are continuing to analyze this health situation in every location, and I do expect we will reopen up many more stores in May.”
It’s unclear which regions Apple would reopen in first, but O’Brien previously told employees that she expected at least some locations in the U.S. to resume operations in early May. Apple has stores spanning Europe, North America, Asia and big markets like Brazil, Japan and the United Arab Emirates.
Some parts of the U.S. are beginning to get back to work, with states including Texas planning to lift or relax restrictions soon. Georgia has already allowed several businesses to start up again.
MacDailyNews Take: It will be good to see Apple Retail Stores safely reopen soon!