Apple Stores reopening in the US; here are the safety measures Apple’s putting in place

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Apple Store reopening
From masks to temperature checks, Apple Stores will have some changes when they open their doors again.
Photo: Apple

How will your Apple Store be different when it reopens after the coronavirus closures? In an open letter published Sunday, Apple retail chief Deidre O’Brien shared more details about Apple’s approach to reopening its stores — and the measures it’s implementing.

These include free face masks, temperature checks, social distancing strategies, and more. Apple will also this week begin reopening stores across the U.S.

Apple has so far reopened close to 100 stores. It also has plans for reopening more around the world in the coming weeks. According to Bloomberg, Apple will reopen 25 U.S. Apple Stores this week and a further 12 in Canada. These include stores in Florida, California (curbside service), Washington (curbside service), Hawaii, Oklahoma and Colorado.

In her open letter, O’Brien writes that:

“[In many locations] face coverings will be required for all of our teams and customers, and we will provide them to customers who don’t bring their own. Temperature checks will be conducted at the door, and posted health questions will screen for those with symptoms — like cough or fever — or who have had recent exposure to someone infected with COVID‑19. Throughout the day, we’re conducting enhanced deep cleanings that place special emphasis on all surfaces, display products, and highly trafficked areas.”

The letter additionally mentions “curb‑side pick‑up and drop off” for many stores. “If you choose to buy online, we can ship to your home or make your new items available for convenient pick‑up at our stores,” O’Brien notes.

The path to reopen Apple Stores

In an unprecedented move, Apple closed all of its retail stores outside Greater China on March 14. This was an attempt to help battle the spread of the COVID-19 virus. At the time, Apple said that the stores would remain closed through March 27. That date was pushed back several times. The stores have now been closed for more than two months.

In O’Brien’s open letter, she also noted the various ways Apple has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes sourcing more than 30 million masks and 10 million custom‑built face shields for doctors and nurses. Apple has also launched COVID-19 tracking tools, and this week will deploy more than a million coronavirus testing kits per week in partnership with U.S. manufacturers.

These are the Apple Stores reopening this week:

Here’s a list of the Apple Store reopenings in the U.S., as compiled by 9to5Mac.

California:

Arden Fair (Sacramento) – May 18
Roseville (Roseville) – May 18
Higuera Street (San Louis Obispo) – May 18
Vintage Faire (Modesto) – May 20
Del Monte (Monterey) – May 20
Fashion Fair (Fresno) – May 20
Valley Plaza (Bakersfield) – May 20

Washington:

Tacoma Mall (Tacoma) – May 18
Southcenter (Tukwila) – May 18
Bellevue Square (Bellevue) – May 18
River Park Square (Spokane) – May 18
Alderwood Mall (Lynwood) – May 18
University Village (Seattle) – May 18

Florida:

Altamonte (Altamonte Springs) – May 18
Florida Mall (Orlando) – May 18
Millenia (Orlando) – May 18
St. Johns Town Center (Jacksonville) – May 18

Colorado:

The Promenade Shops at Briargate (Colorado Springs) – May 18

Hawaii:

Kahala (Honolulu) – May 18
Royal Hawaiian (Honolulu) – May 18
Ala Moana (Honolulu) – May 18

Oklahoma:

Woodland Hills (Tulsa) – May 20
Penn Square (Oklahoma City) – May 20

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