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In response to the coronavirus, Apple closed all corporate offices, stores, and contact centers in mainland China on February 1st. A reopening was planned for February 10th.
Currently, only Apple's online store and telephone support are available in China. Local stores will remain closed until February 9th. However, the planned reopening on February 10th is apparently off the table - at least that is what an internal memo to local staff suggests. The Apple Blog MacGeneration According to the content of the memo, it is said to be as follows:
Apple Retail Stores are actively working toward reopening at a date to be determined next week. Additional cleaning, health protocols, and local restrictions around public spaces will be considered in this decision. Retail teams will be informed by their managers about their store's opening date and other supportive measures we are taking.
Gradual reopening of stores planned
According to the report, Apple's offices will be put into operation soon, while the rest of the memo only suggests a gradual reopening of the stores. This means that February 10 is out of the running. It states:
As we work together to gradually resume work over the next few weeks, your wellbeing is our first priority. We are very grateful to everyone for approaching this challenging time with the utmost empathy and understanding.
Apple CEO Tim Cook already made a statement during the quarterly earnings release, saying the coronavirus outbreak would create "uncertainty" for the company. For this reason, Cook has promised a more leeway sales forecast for the current quarter—a rather unusual move. While Apple's sales in China are being impacted by the store closures, analysts predict further supply bottlenecks due to closed assembly plants. This is expected to affect not only the AirPods but also the as yet unannounced iPhone 9—also known as the iPhone SE 2. (Photo by vchal / Bigstockphoto)
