Apple tells staff US stores to remain closed until early May amid Covid-19 pandemic
- US technology giant Apple will make reopening decisions based on guidance from local governments and public health experts
- About 270 Apple Stores across the US have been closed since March to help curb the spread of the coronavirus
Apple on Thursday told employees that its retail stores in the United States will remain closed and work-from-home procedures will stay in place until early May because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a memo to employees, Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice-president of retail and people, said the company anticipates that “flexible work arrangements will remain in place for all offices, and all retail stores will remain closed, until early May”.
O’Brien said that Apple is “continuing to monitor local conditions for every Apple facility on a daily basis” and that the company will make “reopening decisions on the basis of thorough, thoughtful reviews and the latest guidance from local governments and public health experts”.
The Cupertino, California-based technology giant is “working on options to make sure parents have the support and the flexibility to adjust their schedules as needed”, according to the memo.
Apple reopens all its stores in China amid signs coronavirus has peaked in country
O’Brien also said that Apple is aware “many parents are balancing home-schooling with working” and is encouraging employees to be open with management about their challenges.
She previously told staff that some stores outside the US could open as early as the first half of April, Bloomberg News has reported.
In Thursday’s note, O’Brien said that Apple’s “executive team is meeting daily and closely coordinating with teams across the company”.
There are about 270 Apple Stores in the US, which are part of the 458 stores outside China, Taiwan and Hong Kong that were closed in March to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.
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