AAPL Apple Inc

By Xie Yu 

Apple Inc. closed all its retail stores outside Greater China, and countries around the world ratcheted up border controls and restrictions on movement, seeking to slow the spread of the global coronavirus pandemic.

Apple said it would close its stores until March 27 to contain the spread of the coronavirus, which according to figures from Johns Hopkins University has killed 5,429 and infected 145,369. The company said its stores inside Greater China, closed previously, were all open Saturday, highlighting how the center of gravity for the disease has moved on to Europe and the U.S.

China reported 11 new infections and 13 new deaths for Friday.

A number of governments tightened border controls, closed down shops and restaurants, and cleared streets, while opening up new funding to offset the economic damage.

Write to Xie Yu at Yu.Xie@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 14, 2020 04:05 ET (08:05 GMT)

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