Apple closes all UK stores amid new COVID

All of Apple's physical retail stores in the UK are currently closed.

According to 9to5Mac, Apple has closed all of its 18 Apple Stores in the UK starting Jan. 5, including the stores in Scotland, in accordance with a new national lockdown amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The closures are in addition to the other 20 stores that were mostly closed before the holidays.

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The change comes as the UK goes into another round of strict lockdowns. Both England and Scotland issued stay-at-home orders, and all schools and colleges are closing down starting Tuesday. The closures come as the UK faces the spread of a new, more infectious variant of COVID-19.

Apple's stores must close as "non-essential" retail businesses, the list of which includes electronic goods and mobile phone shops, all required to shut their doors under the government's rules.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the new measures will be in place until at least mid-February.

Apple is urging shoppers to buy products online, with free, contactless delivery across the UK.

The status of individual Apple stores in the UK can be checked here. "We’re temporarily closed. (...) We look forward to welcoming you again as soon as it’s possible," says a notice on each of the stores' individual pages on Apple's website.