Apple to temporarily close Los Angeles area stores due to COVID-19

Credit: Apple

Apple is temporarily shuttering its retail stores in the Los Angeles area amid a local spike in coronavirus cases and a lack of ICU capacity in the region.

On its website, Apple said it will be closing two brick-and-mortar outlets on Friday, Dec. 18, and an 11 retail stores on Saturday, Dec. 19. It did not provide a timeline for when those stores will reopen. News of the store closures was first reported by Bloomberg.

Here's a full list of the stores being closed.

Apple Topanga in Canoga Park, Calif.
Apple Los Cerritos in Cerritos, Calif.
Apple Glendale Galleria in Glendale, Calif.
Apple The Americana at Brand in Glendale, Calif.
Apple Beverly Center in Los Angeles
Apple Century City in Los Angeles
Apple The Grove in Los Angeles
Apple Manhattan Village in Manhattan Beach, Calif.
Apple Northridge in Northridge, Calif.
Apple Pasadena in Pasadena, Calif.
Apple Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, Calif.
Apple Sherman Oaks in Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Apple Valencia Town Center in Valencia, Calif.

Cases of COVID-19 continue to rise in California, with the state reporting 45,058 cases on Dec. 17. Los Angeles in particular has become an epicenter in recent weeks.

The entire Southern California region is under a modified stay-at-home order that was triggered by hospital ICU capacity dipping below 15%. As of Dec. 18, ICU capacity in the region is now at 0%.

Los Angeles has a stricter stay-at-home order in place, but one that doesn't shut down businesses that provide goods essential for working at home. In other words, Apple wasn't prompted by the local government to shutter its retail locations.

Other California cities, including ones in the Southern California region, have yet to see their Apple Store locations close again.