Apple will close all official stores and corporate offices in China until February 9 because of concerns over the spread of the corona virus and the number of deaths that has continued to rise, which has more than doubled to more than 250 from a week ago.

“Because we are very careful and based on the latest advice from leading health experts, we have closed all of our corporate offices, stores and call center services in mainland China until February 9,” Apple said in a statement. 2020

Apple hopes to reopen the store “as soon as possible”. Earlier this week, Apple closed three stores in China because of concerns about the spread of the corona virus.

Apple’s move to follow a number of foreign retailers in China, including Starbucks and McDonald’s which temporarily closed its shop window as a precaution.

Meanwhile, many other companies, asking their employees in China to work from home and stop unnecessary business trips in the first week of February.

Typically, businesses in China will be prepared to resume normal operations after the Lunar New Year holiday for a week.

Apple remains highly dependent on China for both smart phone sales and for supply chains and manufacturing.

Many factories in Hubei province, including those run by AB InBev and General Motors, have temporarily suspended production due to the corona virus.

In a recent meeting with investors, Apple CEO Tim Cook said Apple was working on a mitigation plan to deal with possible production losses from its supplier in Wuhan, the city where the corona virus outbreak originated, which is home to a number of Apple suppliers.

ANTARA