On March 17, Microsoft announced on Twitter that for the safety of customers and employees, they are closing all global Microsoft Store locations, effective immediately.
Microsoft said that although it is aware that homes, teleworkers, and businesses are currently under tremendous pressure, Microsoft will still provide customers with online services on its official website.
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
Microsoft was one of the first companies to require employees to work from home after a positive virus test on two Microsoft employees on March 6.
Currently, Microsoft has more than 70 stores in the United States, seven in Canada, and one each in Puerto Rico, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Microsoft has imposed restrictions on its store last Saturday. Customers can only inquire and purchase products, but they are not allowed to browse.
Affected by the epidemic, in addition to Microsoft, Google, Facebook have previously announced that their activities will be online. Apple also announced that it will temporarily close all retail stores outside Greater China.
Yesterday, Microsoft also launched the Global New Crown Virus Tracker, which is based on search engine Bing access and displays the latest infection statistics for every country in the world and all states in the United States.
In the past month, Microsoft's stock price has fallen by 27%, the largest decline in 20 years, compared with the highest historical market value created on February 10, which has been reduced by 416.6 billion US dollars.
Currently, Microsoft has not revealed when to reopen the store.
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