Apple reclosing almost all remaining Florida retail stores over COVID-19 spikes

Apple is reclosing 14 more of its retail locations in Florida due to a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. Of the 18 Apple Store locations in Florida, only two currently remain open, one in Jacksonville and another in Sarasota, according to Bloomberg. The tally of closed US Apple stores is currently at 32, which represents 10 percent of the company’s total number of 272 stores in the country.

Apple last month began reopening a majority of its US retail locations. Yet last week saw Apple’s first wave of store reclosures in Florida, as well as Arizona, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Despite Apple’s staggered approach to reopening its stores that started in late May, the number of COVID-19 cases across the US — particularly in states that have more quickly reopened — has started to spike.

Several states have begun to allow shopping in person at retail stores, and guidance has been loosened on dining in public. However, as the US recorded 38,672 positive COVID-19 cases on June 24th, a record-high number for a single day, it’s further proof that the threat of the novel coronavirus appears far from over.

The comment Apple provided to Bloomberg today mirrors what it told The Verge last week regarding those initial reclosures. “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 The Verge. “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.”