The USA is once again facing an overwhelming wave of COVID infections, and most of them are a result of Omicron’s spread. The new COVID variant turned out to be more infectious than previous strains.
According to CNBC.com, Apple chooses to close its stores in New York City as a result of the ongoing COVID surge in the area. Those who are willing to order products online still have that possibility outside retail locations.
The decision came into effect on Monday
Apple closed the stores on Monday, December 27. This could mean that the Cupertino-based giant isn’t too happy about the arrival of the New Year. To make things even worse, it’s unknown how long Apple’s decision will last. A number of 11 locations from Brooklyn, Manhattan, Staten Island, and the Bronx are affected by the new move.
Apple wrote in a recent statement, as cited by CNBC.com:
We regularly monitor conditions and we will adjust our health measures to support the well-being of customers and employees,
We remain committed to a comprehensive approach for our teams that combines regular testing with daily health checks, employee and customer masking, deep cleaning and paid sick leave.
The decision is not an entirely unexpected move from Apple. The tech giant imposed similar actions this month upon stores from Miami, Ontario, Ottawa, and more. Of course, you have already guessed the reason: the rising in COVID infections.
If we take a look at worldometers.info, we can easily see the reported numbers of COVID infections and deaths by the USA: over 53.8 million infections and more than 839,000 deaths. The same source tells us that the most affected American states by the ongoing pandemic are California, Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois, and so on. Also, the least affected states from the USA are Vermont, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, etc.
