Apple to Reopen More Than 100 Stores in The US This Week

Tech giant now requires all customers to wear masks when entering stores, among a number of other COVID-19 precautions

Apple will reopen more than 100 stores in the U.S. this week, including a number of locations in California, a company rep confirmed to TheWrap on Monday, as the tech giant looks to rebound from the retail body-blow its suffered due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Altogether, 106 stores plan to reopen this week. The re-openings will result in nearly half of Apple’s 271 U.S. stores being open by the end of the week, after the company started to initially phase stores back in earlier this month.

Not all of the stores opening this week will be available for walk-in customers. Instead, Apple is focusing on curbside service in many locations.

“This week we’ll return to serving customers in many U.S. locations. 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,” a company rep said. “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.”

The rep added: “We are committed to reopening our stores in a very thoughtful manner with the health and safety of our customers and teams as our top priority, and we look forward to seeing our customers again soon.”

Apple initially closed its non-China stores in March to defend against the spread of COVID-19. Later, when stores started opening in early May, Apple said it would have new protocols in place to combat the coronavirus, including requiring all customers and employees to undergo temperature checks before entering the stores. Masks are also required, and Apple will provide them if customers do not have their own. Apple has also been limiting how many customers can go into its stores at the same time, as the company looks to comply with social distancing rules.

Beyond 29 stores opening in California, it’s also worth mentioning one store in upstate New York will also be opening; all stores in New York City will remain closed. Here’s a look at the states where stores will be reopening this week: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Despite being hammered like many other companies in March, Apple’s stock has bounced back in the last two months, with the company trading near at $318 per share on Tuesday — within striking distance of its $327.20 all-time high set in February.