People wait in the observation area after receiving their COVID-19 vaccination at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, April 13, 2021. More than 600 personnel assigned to the National Guard are assisting with operations at the convention center, a mass vaccination site. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Li Ji)
Cases of the omicron variant of COVID-19 have surged in the United States, and especially in New York, prompting Apple to close its stores there to walk-in customers.
CNBC reported customers who order online still are allowed to pick up their products, but indoor traffic is limited in the company's stores in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island.
The Washington Post explained the seven-day average of new daily cases surged to 253,245 on Tuesday, passing the old high-water mark of 248,209.
"The omicron variant, first identified late last month in southern Africa, has sent infections soaring to levels not seen since last winter, bringing the total number of U.S. coronavirus cases since the pandemic began to more than 63 million, with more than 816,000 deaths," the Post said.
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For New York City, which reportedly is accounting for a large percentage of cases nationwide, a doctor posted online a graph showing the surge in cases:
The CNBC report said Apple had closed its retail locations in early 2020 in response to the initial wave of COVID case, and on reopening had required tests and masks.