Apple this week will re-close at least four Apple Store locations in Victoria, Australia, due to a resurgence of coronavirus in the region.
Apple Highpoint re-closed on July 2 due to an uptick in virus cases.
The Cupertino tech giant updated its Australian retail website on Wednesday to reflect new information regarding store closures in the state of Victoria. Following limited operating hours today, Apple Chadstone, Apple Southland, Apple Doncaster and Apple Fountain Gate will re-shutter their doors in compliance with "stage 3" lockdown protocols enforced by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews.
The four mall locations join a fifth Victoria outlet, Apple Highpoint, which was listed as temporarily closed last week.
Victoria has over the last two weeks experienced a spike in reported coronavirus cases, with positive tests reaching a new peak of 191 cases on Tuesday, reports The Guardian. The upward trend prompted Andrews to reinstitute a strict six-week lockdown scheduled to take effect at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8.
Citizens in the capital of Melbourne, as well as those living in other densely populated areas, face a stay-at-home order that restricts public exposure to shopping for food and essential items, caregiving, daily exercise, and work and study, the report said. Shopping centers and select retailers can remain open if they follow occupancy guidelines, though it appears Apple is once again taking a conservative approach to the public health emergency.
The company proactively shut down retail operations outside of China in March in a bid to protect customers and team members from the fast-spreading virus. Apple Stores began to reopen in May as part of a phased return to normalcy, though flare ups have prompted re-closures.
9to5Mac reported on the upcoming Australian store closures earlier today.
The iPhone maker is following similar procedures in the U.S., where rampant spread of the virus forced the closure of nearly 80 stores across 14 states.