Coronavirus: Apple closes all 17 retail stores in Italy indefinitely

The new coronavirus situation is generating a lot of tension in the world. The epidemic which started from Wuhan, China is now spreading to other parts of the world. As of now, there are over 125,000 verified cases and over 4,500 deaths in China. Western European country, Italy, is the second most affected nation after China. As of now, Italy has over 12,000 cases and the death toll is over 800. To this end, Apple recently announced that it is closing all its 17 retail stores in Italy indefinitely. 

Although Apple stores will be closed, the company will still provide customers with online and telephone support. The epidemic continues to spread across Europe and other regions. At the same time, World Health Organization Director-General Tan Desai said on Wednesday that the new coronavirus pneumonia epidemic has the characteristics of a global pandemic.

“As we support the work to contain and manage the spread of Covid-19, our priority remains the health and safety of everyone in the communities we serve,” Apple said in a statement on Wednesday.

This is the second time that Apple will be shutting down all its stores in a country due to the coronavirus epidemic. Sometime last month, Apple closed all its stores in China. As of now, four of its stores are still under locks.

Google deletes Iranian app which claims to detect coronavirus

In other reports, Google recently deleted an app called AC19 from its PlayStore. This app claims to detect coronavirus and it is developed by the Iranian government. However, it had a massive 4 million downloads before the removal.

According to reports, the Iranian government released the app last week and asked the Iranian people to install it in a text message. The aim of this app is to reduce pressure on hospitals. However, some users believe that the app is spam from the Iranian government. They believe that the government wants to monitor people with their personal data. Nevertheless, analysis of the application’s APK shows that it is not a malicious Trojan or spyware. Read more about AC19 HERE