Apple Shutting Down More Florida Stores As Coronavirus Cases Surge

Apple will be closing some of its stores in Florida again due to the recent spike in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, a report says.

Cupertino tech giant Apple has announced that it will re-close 14 of its stores in Florida due to the recent uptick in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, Bloomberg reported. The decision to shut its stores once more comes after the company recently reopened 32 stores.

“Due to current Covid-19 conditions in some of the communities we serve, we are temporarily closing stores in these areas,” an Apple spokesperson told Bloomberg. “We take this step with an abundance of caution as we closely monitor the situation and we look forward to having our teams and customers back as soon as possible.”

The 14 other stores that will be closed include the following, MacRumors noted:

• Altamonte (Altamonte Springs)
• Aventura (Aventura)
• Brandon (Brandon)
• Boca Raton (Boca Raton)
• The Galleria (Fort Lauderdale)
• Brickell City Centre (Miami)
• Dadeland (Miami)
• The Falls (Miami)
• Lincoln Road (Miami Beach)
• Florida Mall (Orlando)
• Millenia (Orlando)
• The Gardens Mall (Palm Beach Gardens)
• International Plaza (Tampa)
• Wellington Green (Wellington)

Spikes

The Verge noted that the number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is accelerating, with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting 38,672 new cases on Wednesday (June 24). Bloomberg noted that the increase in cases were recorded in Arizona, California, Florida, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas.

Arizona, Texas and South Carolina saw the highest number of new COVID-19 cases, as per the COVID Tracking Project. These three states only had few cases early on.

Reopenings

The Verge noted that Apple tried to reopen a majority of its stores last month but was forced to re-close many of its stores as the number of COVID-19 cases increased in states that have quickly reopened, including ones mentioned above. Of the company's 18 stores in Florida, only Apple St. Johns Town Center in Jacksonville and Apple University Town Center in Sarasota remain open.

Apple retail store chief Dierdre O'Brien told MacRumors that the decision to reopen and reclose stores are based on the necessity.

“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.