As COVID-19 cases increase in the US, Apple closes its stores again

After reopening some stores in several locations in the US, Apple is now planning to temporarily close retail stores in four states in view of growing cases of Covid-19, the media reported. A total of about 11 stores will be shut down as a result of the new safety drive -- six stores in Arizona, two in North Carolina, one in South Carolina, and another two in Florida, TechCrunch reported on Friday.

"Due to current COVID-19 conditions in some of the communities we serve, we are temporarily closing stores in these areas," Apple was quoted as saying in a statement. Earlier in a letter to customers, Apple's Senior Vice president of Retail and People, Deirdre O'Brien, explained the company's approach to reopening its stores.

"Our commitment is to only move forward with a reopening once we're confident we can safely return to serving customers from our stores. We look at every available piece of data -- including local cases, near and long-term trends, and guidance from national and local health officials," he said.

"These are not decisions we rush into -- and a store opening in no way means that we won't take the preventative step of closing it again should local conditions warrant." Since the US economy started reopening, some states have seen a spike in Covid-19 cases.

*Edited from an IANS report