It’s not just airlines that have cut back on
business in China. Apple Inc. announced that
it was temporarily close all of its offices and its
42 stores in mainland China. Google, Amazon
and Microsoft previously announced plans to
temporarily shutter offices, and Starbucks and
McDonald’s have closed some chains.
Apple said it was acting “out of an abundance
of caution and based on the latest advice from
leading health experts.” Its stores will be closed
until Feb. 9.
Toner said Apple’s decision could also be
harmful to the economy and Apple itself, though
he noted that many companies, including
airlines, are trying to protect their employees.
Toner led a summit in October with World
Economic Forum and the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation to discuss the negative
impacts of trade and travel restrictions
during a pandemic. In a paper that came out
of that meeting, the Johns Hopkins Center
for Health Security concluded that “fear
and uncertainty experienced during past
outbreaks, even those limited to a national
or regional level, have sometimes led to
unjustified border measures.”
The U.S., Australia, Singapore and Japan have
imposed travel restrictions and Vietnam
suspended all flights to China. U.S. officials
pointed to how quickly the virus has spread
around the globe as justification, although
world health officials have warned against
such measures.
At least 24 countries have reported cases of the
new virus, which is from the coronavirus family.