Apple reopens Bay Area stores as protests, looting subside

Apple has reopened a handful of stores around the Bay Area after closing the locations because of violence and looting that occurred across the region following protests in response to last month’s killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

According to Apple, 11 Bay Area stores had reopened as of Monday, with some open for in-store product sales, service and Genius support for the first time since shelter-in-place rules aimed at slowing the spread of the new coronavirus went into effect around the area almost three months ago.

Apple had actually reopened several of its store across the area in late May for either storefront or curbside product sales, service and Genius appointments. However, less than a week after reopening its stores, Apple closed the locations on June 1 following a weekend that included looting at some stores as violence erupted in the wake of Floyd’s death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.

Among the Bay Area Apple stores, those in Burlingame, Los Gatos, Walnut Creek, the Stanford and Palo Alto locations in Palo Alto, and those at the company’s Apple Park Visitor Center and Infinite Loop campus have reopened for in-store shopping, service and Genius support. Customers will have to wear face masks, observe social distancing and have their temperatures checked before entering a store.

The Apple stores in Burlingame, Corte Madera, Berkeley, and at the Chestnut St. location in San Francisco have opened for curbside and storefront sales and service. Apple said its Hillsdale Mall store in San Mateo and its Union Square location in San Francisco are scheduled to open for storefront or curbside business on Tuesday.

Apple’s Stonestown store (San Francisco), Oakridge location (San Jose), Valley Fair store (Santa Clara) Stoneridge store (Pleasanton) and Santa Rosa store remain closed for the time being.

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