Apple to re-close some stores, including in NC, due to COVID-19 resurgence

CHARLOTTE — Tech giant Apple on Friday said it planned to temporarily close some U.S. stores — including two in North Carolina — because of recent spikes in COVID-19.

They include stores in SouthPark Mall and Northlake Mall, both located in Charlotte, according to a CNBC report.

Apple stores in the Triangle, however, will remain open for the time being at Southpoint Mall and Crabtree Valley Mall.

In total, 11 stores will be impacted in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Arizona starting on Saturday.

“Due to current Covid-19 conditions in some of the communities we serve, we are temporarily closing stores in these areas. We take this step with an abundance of caution as we closely monitor the situation and we look forward to having our teams and customers back as soon as possible,” an Apple spokesman said in a statement.

Apple previously closed its stores globally in March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Stores began to reopen in recent weeks with safety measures including mandatory masking, temperature checks, curb-side pickup in certain regions, and service by appointment.

Apple said earlier this week that it had planned to reopen stores in New York City and that it was aiming for more than 200 U.S. stores to be open by the end of the week.

On the back of the closure news, shares of Apple were down about 0.5 percent mid-day on Friday, off about 2 percent from its intraday peak.

The full list of Apple stores closing is below:

Florida

– Waterside Shops

– Coconut Point

North Carolina

– Southpark

– Northlake Mall

South Carolina

– Haywood Mall

Arizona

– Chandler Fashion Center