Oakland, California

APPLE said it would close most of its retail stores outside mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, becoming one of the first companies to take such a drastic measure to fight the coronavirus outbreak.

The move signalled that retailers might be the next part of society to shut their doors. Apple is closing more than 450 stores across 21 countries until March 27.

"The most effective way to minimise risk of the virus' transmission is to reduce density and maximise social distance," Tim Cook, the company's chief executive, said in a statement posted on Friday to the company's website.

Apple said employees at its closed stores would be paid as normal.

Apple's move was a stark example of how the epicentre of the virus has now spread well beyond China.

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The tech giant closed its 42 stores in China in January because of the coronavirus. But now, as the number of people contracting the virus has slowed there and risen sharply elsewhere, Apple has reopened its stores in the China region and closed them everywhere else.

The outbreak, declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, has upended societies across much of the world over the past several days. Supply chains have been disrupted; planes have flown nearly empty; and sports stadiums, theatres and museums have closed their doors.

So far, retail stores had mostly remained open. But Apple's move might be a sign that is about to change. Patagonia, the outdoor-clothing retailer, said on Friday that it would shut its stores until late March. Starbucks has said it would consider closing stores temporarily as a "last resort".

While online shopping could help mitigate the impact of store closures for some retailers, shutting down for even several weeks would further slash sales for most companies, magnifying the toll the coronavirus is already taking on global business. NYTIMES