The deadly coronovirus is spreading rapidly in China and more than 400 people have been dead and thousands others hospitalized. Sensing danger, Apple has closed all its stores, corporate offices and contact centers in China and might not open anytime soon until the virus is contained or completely wiped away.
Apple released a statement saying they're being cautious about the virus and are closely monitoring the situation in China. ''Our thoughts are with the people most immediately affected by the coronavirus and with those working around the clock to study and contain it.''
''Out of an abundance of caution and based on the latest advice from leading health experts, we're closing all our corporate offices, stores and contact centers in mainland China through February 9."
The mobile phone giant stated that though their brick and mortar stores are closed in China for the time being, their online store is fully functional and patrons can purchase their products. ''Apple's online store in China remains open. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and we look forward to reopening our stores as soon as possible.''
CEO Tim Cook said Apple had been regularly deep cleaning stores everyday and conducted temperature checks on its employees to prevent the virus from spreading.
Apple factories remain open
Though Apple closed its stores, corporate offices and contact centers in China, its factories remain open. The factories which are run by Foxconn, would still be operating on a holiday schedule and didn't anticipate any impact on production.
Apart from Apple, other multinational companies have also closed their offices and stores in China due to the coronavirus outbreak including Starbucks and Ikea. Health analysts in China predicted that the virus outbreak might be small compared to the Chinese population, but that could change depending on how long the outbreak lasts.
