Apple reopens all stores in US for first time since pandemic began
It's a small milestone in the battle to return to normal.
All of Apple's 270 retail stores in the US were open for business Monday, the company confirmed to CNET, nearly a year after the company first started closing its stores to deal with the spread of COVID-19.
While a minor milestone, the return to opening is a sign of progress in the country's return to some precoronavirus normalcy. Apple started closing stores on March 13, and though it has been reopening some locations over the course of the last year it also has been shutting down stores in areas around the world that saw spikes in COVID-19 cases.
See also: Best iPad for 2021
As noted by 9to5Mac, Apple Stores in Texas were the last to reopen on Monday. The site notes that the iPhone-maker has also begun to expand in-store shopping at more US locations, though it adds that stores still enforce mask requirements and operate at reduced capacity. The company is also doing temperature checks before letting people into its stores.
Apple has just a handful of stores outside the US that still remain closed. There are a dozen locations in France and two stores in Brazil that remain shuttered, while the company confirmed that it will reopen its Mexico locations on March 2.