Apple Will Reopen More Than 100 Stores This Week: Report

Apple said it planned to reopen more stores this week more than two months after all its stores outside China were closed as novel coronavirus cases ballooned across the globe, CNBC reported Tuesday.

Apple told CNBC that about 130 out of 271 Apple Stores in the U.S. will be open by the end of the week. CRN has reached out to Apple for comment.

The stores will focus on Genius Bar appointments and curbside pickup for now.

“This week we’ll return to serving customers in many US locations,” an Apple representative said in a statement released to CNBC. “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.”

CNBC reported that Apple this week will reopen stores in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Apple’s approach to reopening its stores will involve limiting occupancy, mandatory face coverings for its employees and customers as well as temperature checks conducted at the door. The company also said that it’s conducting deep cleanings that “place special emphasis on all surfaces, display products, and highly trafficked areas.”

The latest reopening news comes weeks after it was reported that Apple planned to begin the reopening of some of it its U.S. retail stores.

The first four states to see reopened Apple stores were in Idaho, South Carolina, Alabama and Alaska.

Apple had originally closed all of its stores outside China in mid-March "until further notice."

Earlier this month, the tech giant scheduled this year's online-only Worldwide Developers Conference to start June 22 and said the virtual event will be free to all developers.