Apple Reclosing Some Stores in Texas Amid Spiking Coronavirus Cases

Apple is closing seven retail stores located in the Houston, Texas area, as coronavirus outbreaks in the state continue to climb.

Last week, Apple shuttered stores in Florida, Arizona, North Carolina, and South Carolina, with no details on when those stores might reopen.

applestorehoustongalleria
In Texas, the following stores are closing on June 25, as noted by 9to5Mac: Highland Village, First Colony Mall, Houston Galleria, Memorial City, Willowbrook Mall, Baybrook, and the Woodlands.

Apple started reopening stores in the United States in May, and ahead of when the store closures restarted, more than 150 of the 271 stores in the United States had reopened. Coronavirus cases are climbing in some areas of the United States, however, leading Apple to reclose stores in affected areas.

When the first store openings started happening in May, Apple's retail chief Deirdre O'Brien said that Apple would only reopen stores when it is confident that it can safely serve customers.

Apple's decisions to close or reopen stores are based on data evaluation, such as local cases, near and long-term trends, and guidance from national and local health officials. At the time stores were reopened, O'Brien warned that Apple would not hesitate to close stores again if coronavirus cases spiked.

"These are not decisions we rush into - and a store opening in no way means that we won't take the preventative step of closing it again should local conditions warrant," O'Brien said.

Even as Apple prepares to close stores in Houston, Apple reopened several stores this week in Chicago, Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota, Virginia, and more.

In stores that have reopened, Apple is implementing safety measures that include mandatory masks, social distancing, frequent cleaning, temperature checks, and more. In some locations, stores are open only for repairs and curb-side pickup, while others are open but with a limited number of people allowed in at one time.

Top Rated Comments

macbeth1026 Avatar
38 months ago
I think we’re all just a tad quick to feel like this is over. We’re not even out of the first wave yet.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NickName99 Avatar
38 months ago
If folks wear masks, keep up social distancing, keep up testing, and we do quarantining and contact tracing of sick people, we can do way better. Take a look at Europe. They’re doing the right things, it’s not magic.



Attachment Image
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yaxomoxay Avatar
38 months ago

History may show that closing businesses only prolonged the inevitable
Well, the initial closure was to prevent overwhelming the healthcare system (the so-called flattening the curve, that most people erroneously interpreted as "less cases overall") and to buy some time to get to know the monster.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yaxomoxay Avatar
38 months ago

This year is a mess.
Godzilla is scheduled for July, reptilian invasion is scheduled for August, and the AI Skynet revolution is scheduled for October. September is free for now.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
now i see it Avatar
38 months ago
Pretty much everywhere will see increased cases compared to the days when everyone was huddling in their homes. History may show that closing businesses only prolonged the inevitable
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
newyorksole Avatar
38 months ago
This year is a mess.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)