Apple Inc says it would shut all of its official stores and corporate offices in mainland China until the 9th of this month as fears over the Novel Coronavirus outbreak mounted and the death toll more than doubled to over 250 from a week ago.
In a statement, Apple says out of an abundance of caution and based on the latest advice from leading health experts, they are closing all their corporate offices, stores, and contact centres in mainland China.
The company said they looked forward to re-opening stores “as soon as possible”.
Earlier this week, Apple closed three stores in China due to concerns about the spread of the virus.
It’s joining a handful of overseas retailers, including Starbucks Corp and McDonald’s Corp to temporarily shut storefronts as a precautionary measure.
Many other companies, meanwhile, have called for employees in China to work from home and cease non-essential business travel in the first week of February.
[Source: Reuters]
