China, the epicentre of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, is starting to see gradual decline in new cases as well as deaths from previous ones. In fact, at the time of writing, the total count of newly infected case in the country for the day stood at just 8, highlighting that the peak may be over in China. Local media reports have also suggested that people in Wuhan, which is where it all started, have started to slowly return to normal life.
Amid all this, Apple too, will reopen all of its 42 stores across in China, hinting that the worst may be behind us, at least in China. An Apple spokesperson confirmed the same. Apple stores will be opened after almost a month long shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to Reuters, the iPhone maker’s Chinese website listed the opening time for all stores, which varies from 10:00 am to 11:00 am local time. The website had previously carried an advisory saying not all stores were open.
While this will of course be relieving for the general populace, Apple will probably feel a slightly heightened sense of relief. The company sold less than half a million devices in the month of February, when coronavirus cases peaked in China. This was less than 25% of what the company sold at the same time last year, and less than 30% of what the company sold in January of this year.
Things may have started to look better in China, but the world is far off from getting better. Outside of China, there has been a constant rise in the number of infections, with Europe being the most affected. Within Europe too, Italy’s infection numbers have reached thousands, with more infections being reported pan-Europe. In Americas too, infected cases are continuing to rise, reaching 1215 in the US at the time of writing this piece. This has resulted in global tanking of financial markets at an unprecedented rate.
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