Apple temporarily closes Dubai stores as Covid-19 precaution

Apple has temporarily closed its two Dubai stores. Photo: Pawan Singh/The National

Apple has temporarily closed two of its stores in the UAE until Thursday due to Covid-19 precautions.

The outlets at Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates were shut as "caution for everyone's health and well-being", the company said.

"Our stores in Dubai are temporarily closed until January 13," a spokesperson for Apple told The National.

"We look forward to having our teams and customers back as soon as possible."

The company made no reference to whether it was affected by Covid-19 cases. Both malls remain open as normal.

Apple's third store at Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi remains open.

Covid cases in the Emirates reached a ten-month high on Sunday. The UAE recorded 2,759 new Covid-19 cases, its highest daily tally since March 4. The number of active cases has risen to 30,418.

Globally, Apple has temporarily closed many stores in recent weeks as it copes with the highly contagious Omicron variant.

Last month, the company closed at least eight stores in the US and Canada as Covid-19 cases surged among the public and employees.

Apple Fitness+ launches in the UAE - in pictures

Apple Fitness+ is now available in 15 additional countries, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia. All photos: Apple

Fitness+ features studio-style workouts with users able to see their Apple Watch metrics on screen in real time

Workouts currently available include high-intensity interval training, strength, yoga, dance, core, cycling, Pilates, meditation, treadmill (for running and walking), rowing and a mindful cool-down, with new content from each instructor added every week

Fitness+ was designed for everyone, irrespective of their fitness levels, abilities or age, Apple says

The idea is to give users, irrespective of their fitness levels or how busy they are, that little push to stay healthy

Accessible on the iPhone, iPad or via Apple TV, Fitness+ integrates real-time data from the Apple Watch

Programmes have also been designed to help users reach their specific goals, from Workouts for Pregnancy, Workouts for Beginners, Meditations for Beginners and even Get Ready for Snow Season

Those short on time can also select the duration for their workouts, which can be as short as five minutes or as long as 45 minutes, and Fitness+ will offer up suggestions for what's best suited to you

A feature called Artist Spotlight, where the entire playlist for a workout is dedicated to a single musician, is also available

Time to Walk features guests and celebrities from around the world who encourage people to walk more often while they share stories, photos and even songs

Subscriptions are priced Dh36.99 per month or Dh149.99 per year

All workouts are conducted in English, and subtitles are available in Brazilian Portuguese, English, French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish

Apple chief executive Tim Cook showcasing the expansion of Apple Fitness+ during a special event at Apple Park in Cupertino, California

Jay Blahnik, a fitness industry veteran, is Apple’s vice president of fitness technologies