Apple closed NYC stores due to a lack of manpower because of the widespread Covid-19 Omicron variant in its employees.
The virus's third wave in the United States is still centered in New York, due to the extremely contagious Omicron variant.
In addition, Apple has closed stores in Los Angeles, Ohio, Texas, Georgia, and Florida, as well as London. As a result, there has been a de facto lockdown, with shops, bars, and restaurants shutting down on their own due to staff shortages.
Apple Store New York
As COVID-19 instances continue to rise dramatically owing to the the new variant, Apple has closed all of its retail outlets in New York City to retail customers.
Only online orders will be picked up at the 12 locations, which include Fifth Avenue, Grand Central Terminal, and the Meatpacking District.
There will be no browsing or Genius Bar appointments available.
As reported by the New York Post, the businesses were closed to all in-person shopping experiences for their customers as recently as Monday evening, Dec. 28, and only order pick-ups were available.
Apple originally made a decision to close all main NYC Apple stores, however, just hours after banning all in-person consumers, Apple has begun allowing select customers back into its New York City stores, after igniting a backlash online.
The iPhone maker's Big Apple locations, including its Fifth Avenue, SoHo, and World Trade Center flagships, are presently offering "limited" walk-in shopping and repair services.
Apple Store Closure Due To COVID-19 Omicron
While the firm has temporarily closed stores throughout the world, New York City is the first city where all of its stores are closed to in-store consumer traffic.
In New York City, COVID cases are on the rise, with record numbers of tests leading to record numbers of positive cases.
On Christmas Eve, some Apple store staff staged a walkout, calling for increased safety measures, such as N95 masks.
According to Daily Mail, in the last two weeks, the number of Covid cases in the United States has doubled. Every day, 235,269 Americans test positive for the virus, an increase of 99% in the last two weeks.
A record 512,553 new cases were recorded in the United States on Monday.
Apple Closes NYC Stores
Due to an increase in COVID-19 cases, three Apple Store locations were the first to close temporarily earlier this month.
According to 247 Wall St., 21 U.S. stores have been temporarily closed owing to the recent rise in coronavirus illnesses, not including the closures in New York City.
Due to extreme weather, five more stores in Washington state have been shuttered.
Seven stores in Texas, including three in Houston, are temporarily closed, while three stores in Georgia and Ohio have been closed.
Two locations in California and two in Virginia have also stopped operations.
As per New York CBS Local, Apple stated that it will alter both its health measures and shop offerings to promote the wellbeing of consumers and employees on a regular basis.
Apple said in a statement that they remain dedicated to a comprehensive approach for their staff that includes frequent testing, daily health checks, employee and customer masks, deep cleaning, and paid sick leave.
