QingdaoSource: Apple

What you need to know

  • The number of Apple stores closed in China due to the coronavirus outbreak has risen to three.
  • Tim Cook announced the closure of Apple's Qingdao store (pictured) during Tuesday's earnings call.
  • Now, stores in Fuzhou and Nanjing have also been closed.

The number of Apple retail stores closed in China due to the coronavirus outbreak has risen to three.

As reported by CNET:

Apple has temporarily shuttered two more stores in China, bringing the total closed as of Wednesday to three, as worries about the coronavirus rock the globe.

Apple CEO Tim Cook on Tuesday said Apple had closed its Qingdao store earlier this week as a precaution. Two more stores, in Fuzhou and Nanjing, are now also closed because the malls they're located in have been temporarily shuttered.

The coronavirus death toll has risen to a least 170. Confirmed cases as of January 29 were 7,711, and a confirmed case in Tibet means that the virus has spread to every region in mainland China. The World Health Organization is due to convene today to discuss whether the outbreak should be considered a global health emergency.

With regards to closures, Apple's Rainbow City Story in Nanjing is listed as closed until Monday, February 3. It will reopen on that day with special, shortened business hours. The same is true of Apple Tahoe Plaza in Fuzhou. Apple's Qingdao store will remain closed until at least Monday, and according to its website, it is due to reopen on Tuesday for just four hours, 2 pm to 6 pm local time. The Fuzhou and Nanjing stores have been forced to close because the malls they are situated in have also been temporarily shut.

Recent reports have suggested that coronavirus could affect Apple supply chains, one outlet suggesting that the disease had created "massive uncertainties" in the region.