Apple is having a tough time keeping its stores open in the United States. After keeping Apple stores shut for months due to the coronavirus pandemic, the company started opening very recently. However, now once again, the company has shut most of its stores in the United States because of the ongoing protests in the country.
Apple CEO Tim Cook took to Twitter to express his thoughts on the current situation in the United States. He tweeted – “Minneapolis is grieving for a reason. To paraphrase Dr. King, the negative peace which is the absence of tension is no substitute for the positive peace which is the presence of justice. Justice is how we heal.”
The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis has sparked a nationwide outrage. The protests across the country saw people looting and damaging stores. As a result, Apple has decided to shutter its stores temporarily to protect its employees, customers, and products.
Apple is reportedly planning to keep its stores open only from 11AM to 6PM when some normalcy is seen in the situation. An Apple Store in Minneapolis was the first to report a case of looting and then followed by the store in Portland, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Charleston, Washington D.C, Scottsdale, and San Francisco reported cases of looting or attacks.
“Under Apple’s new procedures, stores with walk-in service will require customers and employees to undergo temperature checks and wear masks before entering. Apple will provide masks to customers who have none. Social-distancing rules will limit the number of people in the store at one time, which Apple said could create delays for walk-in customers,” reads a report by Twitter.
It’s unclear as to when exactly Apple will start opening its stores again. The company had recently planned to reopen around 100 stores in the United States after having them closed for almost two months due to coronavirus. However, the plans may change after all as the protests have required that Apple close its stores once again.
