According to the store’s voicemail, Sainte-Catherine Apple Store, Montreal has been closed until further notice, although no clarification has been given as to why the measure has been taken.
In an email to CTV News, Apple has only said it is closing some stores “due to current COVID-19 conditions.”
In an email to CTV News, the company would not confirm if there was an outbreak of COVID-19 at the store, but said, “Due to current COVID-19 conditions in some of the communities we serve, we are temporarily closing stores in these areas. We take this step with an abundance of caution as we closely monitor the situation and we look forward to having our teams and customers back as soon as possible.”
A customer who brought in a computer for repairs to the store last week was told it would take between 24 hours and 10 days to be fixed. The following day, however, she was asked to pick up her laptop from the store before 5 p.m. the next day otherwise it would remain with Apple until the store reopened.
When asked if there had been a positive case of COVID-19 at the store, an Apple employee refused to confirm. “If stores like Apple are not going to be community-minded and reveal the truth, they should be called out on it,” the customer said.
Update August 11: According to an anonymous tipster, a store employee at the Sainte-Catherine store allegedly tested positive for COVID-19, hence all employees are now in self-isolation, which is why the store has been shut down.
(Thanks for the tip John)
