Apple has instructed Apple Store staff to limit Apple Watch and AirPods try-ons in an effort to help prevent the possible spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Business Insider reports that while customers can still request to try on AirPods and Apple Watch models, employees have been instructed to not offer the try-ons proactively or to encourage try-ons.
Apple has already ordered more cleanings than normal of display products during business hours, has added hand sanitizing stations to store, and has reduced the number of available seats at Genius Bars and cubes in Forum areas to provide extra space between customers.
Areas that are experiencing more severe coronavirus outbreaks, such as Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area, “Today at Apple” sessions have been discontinued entirely. An Apple spokesperson admitted the company was indeed limiting crowding in its stores but declined to comment on the try-ons report.
While all Apple Stores in the U.S. currently remain open, Apple has closed its stores in other areas that have been hit hard by the virus. Currently, all stores in Italy are closed, and stores in China were closed for much of February.