Apple today issued a letter responding to the growing coronavirus pandemic and outlining steps the company is taking to protect the safety of customers and employees. As part of the precautions, all Apple retail stores outside of Greater China will temporarily close until March 27, effective immediately.

Tim Cook:

Closing stores is just one of several steps Apple is taking to do its part in mitigating the effects of coronavirus. Apple says deep cleaning will continue at all of its sites. New health screenings and temperature checks are being added to all offices. Hourly workers will continue receiving pay.

Apple says its donations to the global COVID-19 response have reached $15 million worldwide. The company will match employee donations two-to-one.

Earlier this week we saw limited Apple Store closures in critical regions and Today at Apple session cancellations. Although the move to close all locations inconveniences customers, the risk to public health necessitated sweeping action. As a leader in retail, Apple’s actions will undoubtedly spark other brands to make similar decisions for the safety of customers and employees.

Apple has also switched WWDC to an online-only format for 2020, and opened a dedicated coronavirus spotlight on Apple News.

At Apple, there’s nothing more important to us than people — our customers, our team members and the communities we serve. To protect the health and well-being of everyone, we will be closing all Apple retail stores outside of Greater China until March 27. I am profoundly grateful to our exceptional team members all around the world who have shown such deep care for our customers and each other during this difficult time. Our teams at Apple will continue to provide exceptional service. Our online stores are open at apple.com, or you can download the Apple Store app on the App Store. For service and support, customers can visit support.apple.com. Thank you to every member of our Apple family for all you do — today and every day.

A post shared by Deirdre O’Brien (@deirdre.at.apple) on Mar 13, 2020 at 11:48pm PDT

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