Apple is closing all of its retail stores in Italy, as the coronavirus outbreak continues to expand in the country. All stores will be closed as of March 12.
Apple’s web page for each store in the Italian region tells customers the closures are due to precautionary health measures (Google Translation):
Following the health precaution measures currently in force, this store will remain closed until a later date. Visit getsupport.apple.com for online support. We apologize for the inconvenience.
The closure decision comes in the wake of a national quarantine enacted by the Italian government. Italians are required to stay in their homes except as necessary for work and health circumstances.
All Apple Stores in the country will be closed for at least the rest of the week, and it is unclear exactly when they may reopen. Italy’s mandatory quarantine lasts through April 3, 2020.
Apple provided a statement on the store closures to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman:
“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. With that in mind, our stores in Italy will be closed until further notice. We understand customers may need support from Apple during this challenging time and we’ll ensure our online and phone support, as well as online store, remain open for customers. We will closely monitor the situation and look forward to reopening our stores as soon as possible.”
(Via MacRumors)
