Microsoft Closes All Retail Stores Amidst Coronavirus Outbreak

As a measure to reduce the impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Microsoft announced earlier today that it has temporarily closed all Microsoft Stores across the globe. The Redmond giant took to Twitter to share the news.

For the safety of our customers and employees, we are closing all global Microsoft Store locations, effective immediately. For help, please visit https://t.co/tzwDaQSY0k. pic.twitter.com/KjMr8TQh3y

— Microsoft Store (@MicrosoftStore) March 17, 2020

The company will continue offering online tech support during this period of crisis. Support resources can be found on Microsoft Store support page. “We know families, remote workers and businesses are under unique pressure at this time, and we are still here to serve you online at microsoft.com,” reads Microsoft’s statement.

Earlier this week, Microsoft had initiated social distancing policies at its stores along with reduced working hours to ensure the health of its customers and employees. In fact, Microsoft was one of the first major tech companies to provide work from home option to its employees.

Microsoft’s decision to temporarily close its stores comes a couple of days after Apple decided to halt its retail operations except China. While Apple anticipates reopening its stores on the 27th of March, there is no clear timeline so far regarding Microsoft’s plans to reopen its retail stores.

With coronavirus’s spread getting increased day by day, several governments across the globe have banned mass gatherings to contain the spread of the virus. Hence, a lot of tech companies have either moved their tech events online or postponed until the outbreak settles down.

Microsoft had to move its MVP Summit and Build 2020 developer conference online due to coronavirus outbreak. As part of its contributions to keep people informed, the company released a coronavirus tracker yesterday.