Apple reopens 2 more stores in China, bringing total to 17.

Apple has reopened a further two stores in China, bringing the total of stores now operating in the country up to 17.

Yesterday, Apple reopened 10 stores across the nation including locations in Shanghai and Guangzhou, as it tries to return to normal service following the COVID-19 outbreak that has devastated the country.

The two latest stores to reopen are Apple Midtown Joy City and Apple Shenyang Vientiane City. Both stores operate in the city of Shenyang, in the Dadong and Heping Districts respectively.

As with previous reopenings, both of these stores will operate special business hours, from 11:00 until 18:00 local time.

Whilst Apple is slowly beginning to return its retail business to normal operational levels, the majority of its 42 Chinese stores remain closed.

Apple initially closed its Qingdao store at the end of January over concerns about the coronavirus outbreak. It was quickly forced to close a further two stores in Fuzhou and Nanjing, before eventually shutting down its entire China operation out of an abundance of caution.

Apple's contact centers and corporate offices have since reopened, however, because of the high footfall in Apple stores, it seems that concerns still remain about reopening them amidst the COVID-19 outbreak.

When Apple reopened its Beijing store, customers were asked to wear masks and had their temperature checked before they were allowed to enter the store, it is likely that these measures will remain in place.

The outbreak remains a developing situation in China and several surrounding countries. Yesterday, it was further reported that Apple was moving production of some of its flagship products (Apple Watch, iPad and AirPods) to Taiwan in order to cope with disruption. It is estimated that as much as a third of China's production lines may lay in Q1 of 2020.