Apple to close 14 stores in Florida as virus cases rise, total re-closures reaches 32

By Stephen Nellis

(Reuters) – Apple Inc said on Thursday that it would close 14 stores in Florida starting Friday due to a rise in COVID-19 cases, bringing its total re-closures to 32 stores in the United States.

The company said earlier this week it would again close seven stores in the Houston area after cases rose there. Last week, it announced a round of shuttering in Florida, Arizona, South Carolina, and North Carolina.

Apple has 271 stores in the United States, all of which closed in March as the novel coronavirus spread. The company says it is evaluating whether to open or close each store based on local conditions in each community, with stores sometimes open in one part of a U.S. state but closed in another.

Many but not all of Apple’s U.S. stores have reopened since March. After the closures slated for Friday, more than 200 will be open.

(Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; editing by Jonathan Oatis)