Coronavirus strikes: All 17 Italian Apple Stores are now closed through next week

We previously heard that Apple would be closing all of its Italian Apple Stores this weekend, but things have taken a turn for the worse. As of right now, all 17 Apple Stores in the country will close today and not re-open until at least Thursday, March 18. It's thought that the move is in response to the ongoing coronavirus issues in the area.

It isn't yet clear when these stores will re-open, with the online store checker only showing opening hours up until Wednesday, March 17. It's likely that Apple is taking a wait-and-see approach and will update its stores and its plans as the situation progresses.

Apple recently closed all of its Chinese Apple Stores following the coronavirus outbreak, and it's taking a similar tact in Italy. It remains to be seen whether we can expect further store closures internationally, but with Italy being one of the worst affected countries, it makes sense that it's the first country outside of China to see all stores closed indefinitely.