Apple on Friday cancelled its “Today at Apple” sessions across all stores in Italy amid the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.
Apple Oriocenter, a store in Italy’s Bergamo Province, is also closed temporarily as Apple makes efforts to help contain the spread of the coronavirus. It is currently out of action until March 8.
Outside of China, Italy has been impacted most by the coronavirus, with more than 3,000 confirmed cases and almost 150 deaths so far. The Italian government has already closed schools and universities.
Elsewhere, big events have been postponed, while some soccer games will be played “behind closed doors” without any fans present. Citizens have also been asked not to shake hands or hug.
Apple is going its bit to help curb the spread of COVID-19 by closing stores and cancelling events.
‘Today at Apple’ sessions scrapped in Italy
After Apple Oriocenter was shuttered on March 6, all “Today at Apple” sessions across Italy have been cancelled. “Unfortunately there are no scheduled sessions here,” reads Apple’s local website.
It’s not yet clear how long the sessions will be cancelled for. Apple Oriocenter is expected to reopen next week, but there’s a high chance its closure will be extended if the current situation doesn’t improve.
We’ve asked Apple for more information and we’ll update this story when we get a response.
No signs of a COVID-19 containment
The number of new COVID-19 cases fell for the first time in China on Friday, but figures continue to rise in every other affected region. The total number of cases worldwide has now surpassed 100,000.
Researchers from the Imperial College London believe that between 50,000 and 100,000 people in Italy alone may have contracted the virus, but most aren’t aware because their symptoms are so mild.
It’s still unclear what the outbreak means for Apple events. We were expecting a keynote in the spring, but that looks highly unlikely at this point. There’s also a big question over WWDC.
Via: AppleInsider
