As the coronavirus continues to spread in the United States and other countries, Apple is preparing to reopen its retail stores in mainland China. All 42 locations in the country will be open as of Friday local time, Apple confirmed to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Apple started shutting down select stores in China in January, and in early February, closed all stores in China. As the spread of the virus has abated in China, Apple has been reopening stores, and at the end of February, more than half of retail locations in the country were open.
Following the closure of its stores in China, Apple announced that it will not meet its March quarter revenue goals, citing both constrained iPhone supplies worldwide and lower customer demand for Apple products in China.
Government data shared earlier this week suggested Apple sold 60 percent fewer iPhones in China in February 2020 compared to February 2019.
Coronavirus infection numbers and deaths have been steadily declining in China over the course of the last few weeks, and the worst of the outbreak seems to be over.
Apple may soon be facing store closures in the United States as the coronavirus continues to spread. Large events and gatherings have been banned in many states, major sporting events have been canceled, and Disneyland has shut down for the rest of the month. There are more than 1,500 known coronavirus cases in the United States and over 30 people have died.
