London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, May 14, 2026

Tim Cook says Apple has shut one store in China and is restricting employee travel because of coronavirus

Tim Cook says Apple has shut one store in China and is restricting employee travel because of coronavirus

Apple CEO Tim Cook said Tuesday the company is restricting travel in China as the coronavirus continues to spread.
Cook also said that Apple is cutting back on store hours in China and have closed one store.

Apple manufactures most of its iPhones in China.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said Tuesday the coronavirus outbreak in China is impacting Apple’s operations in the country.

The company has restricted employee travel and shut one store in China due to the coronavirus outbreak, Cook said, adding that the company is cutting back on retail store hours in China.

“We’re restricting travel to business critical travel,” Cook told CNBC’s Josh Lipton Tuesday. “For employees that are in the Wuhan area, we are providing care kits and supplying them across our employee population in China as well.”

In it’s first-quarter earnings report, Apple set an unusually large guidance range for the next quarter of $63 to $67 billion. Cook said the decision to set guidance with a range of $4 billion was reflective of the coronavirus outbreak and “the uncertainty around that.”

Apple has “some suppliers” in the Wuhan area, Cook told investors on Apple’s quarterly conference call Tuesday, and added that at least some of its manufacturing facilities elsewhere in China will remain closed until Feb. 10, as recommended by the Chinese government.

Cook also said that a number of channel partners have closed their retail stores, which could affect sales.

“Retail traffic has also been impacted outside of the city over the last few days,” Cook said.

Apple manufactures most of its iPhones in China. While its two primary manufacturing sites are far from Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, Bloomberg reported this week that the emerging public health threat could disrupt the company’s operations.

“We’re donating to groups that are working to contain the outbreak,” Cook said on the earnings call. “We’re working closely with our Apple team members in the affected areas, and our thoughts are with all of those in the region.”

Chinese health authorities said Tuesday that the coronavirus outbreak has killed 106 people and infected 4,515.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told Americans Tuesday to avoid all nonessential travel to China, expanding its travel warning from the city of Wuhan to the entire country.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The Great Western Exit: Why Best Citizens Are Fleeing the Rich World [PODCAST]
The New Robber Barons of Intelligence: Are AI Bosses More Powerful Than Rockefeller?
The End of the Old Order [Podcast]
Britain’s Democracy Is Now a Costume
The AI Gold Rush Is Coming for America’s Last Open Spaces [Podcast]
The Pentagon’s AI Squeeze: Eight Tech Giants Get In, Anthropic Gets Shut Out [Podcast]
The War Map: Professor Jiang’s Dark Theory of Iran, Trump, China, Russia, Israel, and the Coming Global Shock [Podcast]
Labour Is No Longer a National Party [Podcast]
AI Isn’t Stealing Your Job. It’s Dismantling It Piece by Piece.
Lawyers vs Engineers: Why China Builds While America Litigates [Podcast]
Churchill’s Glass: The Drunk, the Doctor, and the Myth Britain Refuses to Sober Up From
Apple issues an unusual warning: this is how your iPhone can be hacked without you doing anything
Kennedy’s Quiet War on Antidepressants Sparks Alarm Across America’s Medical Establishment
The Met Gala Meets the Age of Billionaire Backlash
Russian Oligarch’s Superyacht Crosses Hormuz via Iran-Controlled Route
Gunfire Disrupts White House Correspondents’ Dinner as Trump Is Evacuated
A Leak, a King, and a Fracturing Alliance
Inside the Gates Foundation Turmoil: Layoffs, Scrutiny, and the Cost of Reputational Risk
UK Biobank Breach Exposes Health Data of 500,000, Listed for Sale on Chinese Platform
KPMG Cuts Around 10% of US Audit Partners After Failed Exit Push
French Police Probe Suspected Weather-Data Tampering After Unusual Polymarket Bets on Paris Temperatures
CATL Unveils Revolutionary EV Battery Tech: 1000 km Range and 7-Minute Charging Ahead of Beijing Auto Show
Crypto Scammers Capitalize on Maritime Chaos Near the Strait of Hormuz: A Rising Threat to Shipping Companies
Changi Airport: How Singapore Engineered the World’s Most Efficient Travel Experience
Power Dynamics: Apple’s Leadership Shakeup, Geopolitical Risks in the Strait of Hormuz, and Europe's Energy Strategy Amidst Global Challenges
Apple's Leadership Transition: Can New CEO John Ternus Navigate AI Challenges and Geopolitical Pressures?
Italy’s €100K Tax Gambit: Europe’s Soft Power Tax Haven
News Roundup
Microsoft lost 2.5 millions users (French government) to Linux
Privacy Problems in Microsoft Windows OS
News roundup
Péter András Magyar and the Strategic Reset of Hungary
Hungary After the Landslide — A Strategic Reset in Europe
Meghan Markle Plans Exclusive Women-Focused Retreat During Australia Visit
Starmer and Trump Hold Strategic Talks on Securing Strait of Hormuz Amid Rising Tensions
Unofficial Australia Visit by Prince Harry and Meghan Expected to Stir Tensions with Royal Circles
Pipeline Attack Cuts Significant Share of Saudi Arabia’s Oil Export Capacity
UK Stocks Rise on Ceasefire Momentum and Renewed Focus on Diplomacy
UK to Hold Further Strategic Talks on Strait of Hormuz Security
Starmer Voices Frustration as Global Tensions Drive Up UK Energy Costs
UK Students Voice Concern Over Proposal for Automatic Military Draft Registration
Rising Volatility Drives Uncertainty in UK Fuel and Petrol Prices
UK Moves to Deploy ‘Skyhammer’ Anti-Drone System to Strengthen Airspace Defense
New Analysis Explores UK Budget Mechanics in ‘Behind the Blue’ Feature
Man Arrested After Four Die in Channel Crossing Tragedy
UK Tightens Immigration Framework with New Sponsor Rules and Fee Increases
UK Foreign Secretary Highlights Impact of Intensified Strikes in Lebanon
UK Urges Inclusion of Lebanon in US-Iran Ceasefire Framework
UK Stocks Ease as Ceasefire Doubts in Middle East Weigh on Investor Confidence
UK Reassesses Cloud Strategy Amid Criticism Over Limited Support Measures
×