After closing all of its stores in China due to the coronavirus outbreak, Apple has now reopened more than half of them as the spread of the virus slows down in China outside Hubei province.
Out of 42 Apple stores in China, 29 have resumed business, according to Apple’s China website. That includes six of the seven Apple Stores in Shanghai and all five locations in Beijing. Customers should wear masks and accept temperature checks before entering an Apple Store, the company’s website says, and operating hours will vary depending on the location. The Sanlitun Apple Store in Beijing, for instance, opens at 11am and closes at 6pm.
Apple warned in a note to investors last week that the closure of Apple stores could affect the company’s earnings, and it said that it’s reopening stores in China “as steadily and safely” as they can. The offline retail channels of Chinese smartphone makers like Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi and Huawei have also been hit during the outbreak, according to local media reports.