Apple closes all NYC stores to shoppers as Omicron cases rise Business and Economic News

The company has not said when it will open stores, but said customers can pick up online orders at stores.

Apple Inc. has closed all 12 stores in New York City for internal shopping, as cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant have risen across the United States.

Customers will be able to receive online orders at stores, an Apple spokesman said Monday.

Affected stores include Fifth Avenue, Grand Central and SoHo outlets.

“We regularly monitor conditions and adjust our health measures and in-store services to support the well-being of our customers and employees,” the company said in a statement.

Earlier this month, Apple said it had temporarily closed three stores in the United States and Canada after rising COVID-19 cases and exposure of store employees.

For the same reason, Apple also ordered all customers and employees to wear masks in U.S. stores.

The closing in New York is another approach for the company, as it still allows customers to place orders online and pick them up at stores. Buyers will not be allowed to enter the store to browse or purchase anything on the site, and there will be no technical support from Genius Bar.

Covid’s cases have been the highest ever in New York, and the state has reported tens of thousands of new cases every day. Apple has also shut down additional retail stores outside of New York in recent days, such as some locations in Los Angeles. This includes its downtown Los Angeles Tower Theater store.

Apple did not say when New York locations would reopen to buyers. The company has also temporarily closed its Carnegie Library store in Washington, DC and several locations in Ohio, Texas, Georgia and Florida. The Regent Street store in London has also been temporarily closed.

Globally, concerns about the Omicron variant have led large companies to tighten protocols.

Earlier this month, a U.S. court ordered the reinstatement of the COVID-19 vaccine or testing order for large companies, which includes 80 million U.S. workers. Opponents of the move have gone to the Supreme Court to overturn the restoration.

Shares of Apple rose 2.3 percent to $ 180.33.