Apple is closing all stores outside Greater China until March 27 to reduce the risk of Coronavirus. Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company had learnt lessons from the outbreak in China and that is why it is taking these steps.
“One of those lessons is that the most effective way to minimize risk of the virus’s transmission is to reduce density and maximize social distance,” Cook wrote in a blog post late on Friday.
“As rates of new infections continue to grow in other places, we’re taking additional steps to protect our team members and customers.”
The company said all of its offices outside of Greater China will move to “flexible working arrangements”.
In all of our offices, we are moving to flexible work arrangements worldwide outside of Greater China. That means team members should work remotely if their job allows, and those whose work requires them to be on site should follow guidance to maximize interpersonal space. Extensive, deep cleaning will continue at all sites. In all our offices, we are rolling out new health screenings and temperature checks.
Deep cleaning will continue at all of Apple’s office locations and Cook said the firm is rolling out new health screenings and temperature checks.
Apple has also changed its leave policy to “to accommodate personal or family health circumstances created by COVID-19,” Cook said. That could include recovering from the virus or caring for a sick loved one,
