UPDATED 17:42 EDT / MAY 26 2020

POLICY

Apple will partially reopen 100 US stores this week

Apple Inc. said Tuesday it will reopen about 100 of its retail stores in the United States this week, though heavy restrictions will remain in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The iPhone maker reopened some U.S. stores on May 11 and currently has 25 stores open for business across the nation. But many of those planned to reopen tomorrow will be limited to repairs and store pickups.

Some of the stores planning to reopen include the Apple Burlingame, Apple Corte Madera, Apple Hillsdale and Apple Union Square stores in the San Francisco Bay Area. Other major stores in Arizona, Florida, Georgia and Texas will also reopen Wednesday, the company said.

Even so, customers will not be allowed to go inside the stores, as state guidelines dictate that nonessential businesses with a sidewalk storefront can only provide curbside pickups of orders. Stores that are located in shopping malls will not be allowed to reopen yet, the company said. In a statement to 9to5Mac, Apple said it’s planning to reopen its stores in a “thoughtful manner.”

“This week we’ll return to serving customers in many U.S. locations,” a company spokesperson said. “For customer safety and convenience, most stores will offer curbside or storefront service only, where we provide online order pick-up and Genius Bar appointments. Others will be open for walk-in customers and we encourage everyone to check their local store webpage for more information about hours at their preferred location.”

9to5Mac added that while guidance varies from state to state, most shoppers can expect that they’ll be required to wear masks and also pass a temperature check to enter Apple’s stores, and that these rules will remain in place for the “foreseeable future.” As a result, the ability to browse through products in stores will be limited, with the emphasis being on online sales.

Apple’s move to reopen its stores came on the same day that Google LLC Chief Executive Sundar Pichai told employees in a memo that its offices will partially reopen on July 6, with plans to accommodate up to 10% of its workers. That figure will be increased to 30% of capacity by September, the memo said.

Workers will be allowed to enter Google’s offices on a timed, rotating basis, the email said. The focus will be on those employees whose work dictates that they need to work in the office, with others being allowed to do so if space permits.

Photo: Neils Epting/Flickr

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