COVID-19 forces Apple to close 17 stores in Italy, opens 42 in China

By Ezurike Ugochukwu

As the much dreaded coronavirus(COVID 19) continues to hold down the global economy, Apple Stores said it has closed down its 17 stores in Italy while the 42 outlets in China has been reopened.

The closure was necessitated by the recent Italian government lockdown measures to steam the spread of the COVID-19 in the country.

According to a spokesperson for Apple, the China stores were all temporarly closed down in early February when the country  restricted travel in an attempt to slow the coronavirus outbreak, but they have been gradually reopening over the past few weeks.

As the situation in China improves, other parts of the world seems to lock down due to the spread of the virus, its on account of this situation that
This week,  the company closed all 17 of its stores in Italy after the government put the country in lockdown.to tame the spread.

The Chief Executive Officer of Apple, Tim Cook believes since China record  on the virus continues to drop by the day, it becomes imperative to open up some of the outlets.

He said,   “It feels to me that China is getting the coronavirus under control,.i mean you look at the numbers, they’re coming down day by day by day. And so I’m very optimistic there.”

The CEO further said that Apple’s suppliers were reopening factories, the closure of which had also caused Apple to lower its guidance due to projected supply challenges.

Apple Stores sell various Apple products, including Mac personal computer, iPhone smartphone,iPad tablets computer , iPod portable media players,  Apple watch smartwatch, Apple TV digital media players, software, and selected third-party accessories.

Apple retail footprint has since expanded to 506 stores spanning 24 countries, including 274 in the U.S.