SAN FRANCISCO—On Sunday, May 17, American technology company Apple released a letter to their customers detailing how they will be reopening their doors. In the letter, Apple says that they have already opened up 100 of their over 500 stores globally, adding that “we were one of the first companies to close our stores.”
All of Apple’s stores in China had been closed until March 13, according to this statement. The company goes on to say that they have been reworking and expanding their safety measures “which have proven so effective in places like Greater China, where our stores have been safely open for months.”
These new health precautions will include limiting occupancy within the stores, giving face masks to customers who do not have them, taking people’s temperatures at entrances, screening for COVID-19 symptoms, and extensive cleaning of surfaces and products.
Apple says that they will also be putting an emphasis on curbside delivery, drop off, and pickup in order to “serve our customers’ needs even more effectively”. They have already opened about 30 of the over 270 Apple stores in the United States, as well as others in Asia and Europe.
Apple’s Senior Vice President of Retail and People, Deirdre O’Brien, ended the letter by saying that “we will always put the health and safety of our customers and teams above all else.” The exact date that Apple stores in San Francisco will reopen is unknown.
