An Apple store in Southlake, Texas, is closed Wednesday through Sunday this week following an outbreak of positive COVID-19 cases among staff members. The store, which has 151 employees, reported four positive cases immediately after Black Friday on Nov. 26, according to an internal email obtained by NBC.
Now, 22 employees "have shared that they’re positive for COVID-19,” a store manager told staff during a Webex meeting on Wednesday, according to employees who attended.
“They received a positive diagnosis and will return to work after 10 days of isolation as well as 48 hours of being symptom-free,” the manager said. All employees will be required to take a rapid antigen test on Sunday before the store's scheduled reopening on Monday, Dec. 13.
The outbreak hints at a breakdown in policy between Apple’s corporate offices and its retail locations. While the tech giant was among the first national retailers to close all its U.S. stores in 2020, employees at the Southlake location say they have not always been able to operate with the same level of caution.
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