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.
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.
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