Apple closes three retail stores in U.S. and Canada due to COVID-19

Apple Stores are starting to close due to COVID-19 again.

As reported by Bloomberg, Apple has temporarily closed three of its retail stores due to a rise of COVID-19 cases and exposures among store employees. The three stores affected by the closure are the ones at the Brickell City Centre in Miami, Annapolis, Maryland, and downtown Ottawa.

The three stores are in the Brickell City Centre in Miami; Annapolis, Maryland; and downtown Ottawa. The company said that all employees will take Covid-19 tests prior to the stores reopening and that it's staying in touch with the affected workers. Store closures due to a rise in internal Covid cases typically last for a few days.

Apple said in a statement that the closures are part of the company's "comprehensive approach for our teams" that is designed to "support the well-being of customers and employees."

"We regularly monitor conditions and we will adjust our health measures to support the well-being of customers and employees. We remain committed to a comprehensive approach for our teams that combines regular testing with daily health checks, employee and customer masking, deep cleaning and paid sick leave."

In response to a rise of COVID-19 cases around the world, fueled by the Delta and Omicron variants, Apple has also reinstated its mask mandate in the United States. It said that it is also going to begin limiting the number of customers it allows into its stores at a time.

Apple has temporarily closed a store here and there throughout the year. This is the first time in recent memory, however, that it has needed to close multiple stores at the same time.