Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple, at the 2019 DreamForce conference in San Francisco, California, U.S.
Apple said it will close all of its stores outside of Greater China until March 27 to reduce the risk of the coronavirus spreading.
The iPhone maker’s online store will remain open as well as its “Apple Store” app.
The Apple Store closed in Grote Houtstraat in Haarlem. - Apple is closing all of its stores outside China until March 27 in a bid to slow the spread of the new coronavirus outbreak
Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company had learnt lessons from the outbreak in China and that is why it is taking these steps.
Apple’s move follows similar steps it took in China in early February when it said it would temporarily shut down all its stores in mainland China through Feb. 9 because of the coronavirus.
A closed Apple Store is pictured in a deserted shopping mall in Rome
After that it took a while for stores to reopen. By Mar. 13, all of its mainland China stores had re-opened but with limited operating hours. China is a critical market for Apple and its business has been hurt because of the epidemic.