Apple is re-closing some US retail stores in states where coronavirus cases have spiked

• Apple will re-close some stores in states such as Arizona, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Florida, the company said on Friday.
• Such states have seen upward trends in COVID-19 cases, according to Johns Hopkins University.
• Apple said back in May when it began reopening stores that it would re-close stores if necessary depending on how the situation develops.

Apple will re-close 11 stores in the United States after coronavirus cases have spiked in some states across the country, the company announced Friday.

The decision comes after Apple began re-opening stores in the US last month. Bloomberg first reported the news.

The store closures will occur in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Arizona. Specifically, Apple is closing two stores in Florida, two stores in North Carolina, one store in South Carolina, and six stores in Arizona.

These states are all seeing upward trends in new cases of COVID-19, particularly in June, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Florida, Arizona, South Carolina, and North Carolina are also among the 10 states that have seen record-high seven-day averages of new daily coronavirus cases, according to CNN. The increase in COVID-19 cases comes as stay-at-home orders have relaxed across the country and businesses have begun reopening under restrictions.

"Due to current COVID-19 conditions in some of the communities we serve, we are temporarily closing stores in these areas," Apple said in a statement to Business Insider. "We take this step with an abundance of caution as we closely monitor the situation and we look forward to having our teams and customers back as soon as possible."

Apple said roughly one month ago in May, when it began reopening US stores, that its decisions could change depending on the situation.

"We look at every available piece of data — including local cases, near and long-term trends, and guidance from national and local health officials," Deirdre O'Brien, Apple's senior vice president of retail and people, said in a letter last month. "These are not decisions we rush into — and a store opening in no way means that we won't take the preventative step of closing it again should local conditions warrant."

Apple temporarily closed all of its retail stores outside of China in March to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. It reopened its first store outside of China in mid-April when its location in South Korea resumed operations. The company began opening some stores in the US last month under limited occupancy with a focus on customer service at the Genius Bar. Apple said it would also be requiring face coverings and conducting temperature checks at the door in stores that are open.