Apple says it will close non-China stores until March 27 to stem coronavirus spread

Apple Inc. has announced the temporary closure of all stores outside of China, to help minimize the spread of the coronavirus. The company also said it would increase donations to support global pandemic response efforts.

In a blog on the iPhone maker's website posted Friday, Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said those stores would remain shut until March 27 to protect employees and the public. He said the company would continue offering all of its services online.

"In all of our offices, we are moving to flexible work arrangements world-wide outside of Greater China. That means team members should work remotely if their job allows, and those whose work requires them to be on site should follow guidance to maximize interpersonal space. Extensive, deep cleaning will continue at all sites. In all our offices, we are rolling out new health screenings and temperature checks," he said.

All the company's stores in its Greater China region - closed since early February, with China at the epicenter of the outbreak - have now reopened, he said, expressing gratitude to team members for their "determination and spirit" and partners for getting the supply chains back up and running.

He said Apple's donations to the global COVID-19 response have reached $15 million and announced that "we are matching our employee donations two-to-one to support COVID-19 response efforts locally, nationally and internationally."

On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump declared a national emergency over the coronavirus pandemic, a move that will free up money and other resources for emergency management. In Europe, where the virus is hitting countries such as Italy and Spain especially hard, governments have been moving to close nonessential businesses and limit movement of individuals. Schools in many parts of the U.S. have also been closing, and many businesses are asking employees to work from home. Cultural and sporting events have been canceled.

Shares of Apple have lost 3.8% over the past five trading sessions, against an 8.8% drop for the S&P 500. U.S. stocks rebounded Friday on the heels of the biggest one-day rout for the Dow and S&P 500 since the 1987 crash as investors have panicked over the spread of the coronavirus and fears that governments are not responding fast or effectively enough.