Customers who left devices for repair at an Apple Store can’t get them back until they reopen

Apple is keeping its 464 retail stores outside Greater China closed for the foreseeable future in an effort to combat the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Within a statement shared today, Apple has confirmed that due to the closures, any customer who left a device at an Apple Store for repair leading up to the shutdown won’t be able to get it back until stores reopen, which could potentially be weeks away.

Apple closed its stores officially to customers on Saturday, March 14, but stayed open for a few extra days to allow anybody who left a device in for repair to pick them up however, not everybody arrived when asked, leaving many devices held hostage at the Apple Store until further notice.

“We made every possible attempt to get people’s products back to them,” an Apple spokesperson said. “There certainly are people that, for whatever reason, did not pick up their products before we closed and their products are at our stores.”