Apple informed staff it could begin to restart business at its retail stores from April, with a staggered approach to the move, while also extending remote working options, Bloomberg reported.

The news agency revealed details from a staff memo written by Deirdre O’Brien, SVP of retail and people, stating stores outside of Greater China which were closed due to Covid-19 (coronavirus) may reopen depending on “conditions in their community”, with solid dates to follow.

Apple shut stores and offices outside China earlier this month: at the same time, the company said it had begun to reopen outlets in the country which were closed in early February as Chinese authorities implemented measures to contain the virus.

At the time, the vendor noted it had donated $15 million to treat patients and help to ease the global economic impact of the disease.

The staff memo also explained remote working measures for staff who do not need to be onsite had been extended until 5 April, following the office closures.

Other measures by the company include shifting its annual Worldwide Developers Conference online rather than in-person.