Apple will start reopening retail stores in the US this week with new social distancing and limited customer guidelines.
In a statement on Friday (8th May), Apple said that it was “excited” to announce that stores in four US states will open up to the general public after a lengthy shutdown period.
Stores in Alaska, Alabama, Idaho and South Carolina will all have limited in-store services available by the end of the week.
The first store to open will be in the Boise area of Idaho, where opening hours of 11am to 7pm from Monday (11th May) have been listed on Apple’s website.
Two stores in each of South Carolina and Alabama and a single store in Alaska have yet to be updated with opening hours.
Apple is finally giving the green light for physical locations to start operating again after a two-month shutdown period.
The Cupertino-based company closed all of its stores outside of China in mid-March due to the spread of the coronavirus.
Apple has 271 stores in the US and 510 globally.
The statement released by Apple also outlined a few of the measures that will be in place to protect staff and customers.
There will be temperature checks, social distancing and a policy of wearing masks at all times, and only a limited number of customers will be allowed in the store at any one time.
Apple says that more store openings will follow.
It noted: “Our team is constantly monitoring local health data and government guidance, and as soon as we can safely open our stores, we will.”
Apple added that providing support for customers at the Genius Bar will be its main focus, and it urged customers to continue to buy its products online “where possible”.
Apple recently released an updated iPhone SE and a new 13-inch MacBook Pro.