Apple Stores in Victoria, Australia to Reclose Following Return of Lockdown

Four Apple stores in Victoria, Australia are set to reclose for up to six weeks from July 9, following a spike in coronavirus infections in the state.

chadstone australia
As reported by 9to5Mac, Apple Highpoint in Melbourne was the first store to reclose on July 2 as the deteriorating health situation prompted a reintroduction of stage three lockdown measures across the state capital.

Apple's other retail stores in Victoria will now also reclose. They include Chadstone, Southland, Doncaster, and Fountain Gate. All four stores had been operating on a reduced pickup and appointment-only Genius Support service since last week.

The reimposed stay-at-home measures are expected to last at least six weeks, with only essential travel like buying groceries and medicines allowed. Restaurants and cafes have been ordered to shut, although shopping malls and other retailers are technically allowed to remain open, suggesting Apple took the decision to close its stores of its own accord.

Melbourne's stage three restrictions were reintroduced on Tuesday following a record high of 191 new coronavirus cases.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

iPhone 17 Release Date, Pre-Orders, and What to Expect

Thursday August 28, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
An iPhone 17 announcement is a dead cert for September 2025 – Apple has already sent out invites for an "Awe dropping" event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The timing follows Apple's trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. At the event, Apple is expected to unveil its new-generation iPhone 17, an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17...
iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2

iPhone 17 Pro Clear Case Leak Reveals Three Key Changes

Sunday August 31, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series on Tuesday, September 9, and last-minute rumors about the devices continue to surface. The latest info comes from a leaker known as Majin Bu, who has shared alleged images of Apple's Clear Case for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, or at least replicas. Image Credit: @MajinBuOfficial The images show three alleged changes compared to Apple's iP...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

iPhone 17 Pro: 5 Reasons Not to Upgrade This Year

Monday September 1, 2025 4:35 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series this month, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming to...
xiaomi apple ad india

Apple and Samsung Push Back Against Xiaomi's Bold India Ads

Friday August 29, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple and Samsung have reportedly issued cease-and-desist notices to Xiaomi in India for an ad campaign that directly compares the rivals' devices to Xiaomi's products. The two companies have threatened the Chinese vendor with legal action, calling the ads "disparaging." Ads have appeared in local print media and on social media that take pot shots at the competitors' premium offerings. One...
iOS 18 on iPhone Arrow Down

Apple Preparing iOS 18.7 for iPhones as iOS 26 Release Date Nears

Sunday August 31, 2025 4:35 pm PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 18.7 for compatible iPhone models, according to evidence of the update in the MacRumors visitor logs. We expect iOS 18.7 to be released in September, alongside iOS 26. The update will likely include fixes for security vulnerabilities, but little else. iOS 18.7 will be one of the final updates ever released for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR,...

Top Rated Comments

Stephen.R Avatar
67 months ago

So stupid. Just let people live their lives. We’re all going to get this stupid virus so quit prolonging it and just get it over with.
I like the cut of you jib. This is smart thinking. It's not at all as if the hospital and healthcare systems of the entire planet would be overwhelmed and fail completely if the <checks notes> 7.8 billion on the planet did nothing to prevent the spread of an infectious virus that leads to people in ICU, being intubated, and potentially having permanent lung damage as a result.


I know in America you must think that whatever is happening there is "normal". It isn't. Other parts of the world actually did something to prevent the spread, and generally managed to control it, allowing things to slowly return to normal.

For reference, the "lockdown" (seriously unless you have a curfew and it will be enforced using that word is a bit melodramatic) in Victoria has been triggered because of a rise in cases. On Tuesday, they recorded 191 new cases, the day before was 118.

The state of Victoria has a little under 450 cases per 1M population, the national average is a little under 350 per 1M. So we can then we compare that to the US figures of <checks notes> just under 8300 per 1M nationally. I don't know really what to compare Victoria to in the US. It's the second most populous state, so perhaps Texas, with a infection rate of 7800 per 1M. There are a lot more Americans though, so we'll just pick the "best" (in terms of lowest infection rate) to compare. Hawaii. 748 cases per 1M.

Let me guess "oh **** it let's just get on with our lives". There is a reason the US currently has 406 known deaths per 1M population due to Covid19, vs Australia's... 4.24 known deaths per 1M due to Covid19.

The death count due to Covid for the entire country of Australia is 106. One hundred and six. In a population of 25M.
Score: 46 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ColBatGuano Avatar
67 months ago

End this BS and live normal lives.
If people suffer from permanent lung damage they won't be able to live normal lives.
If people suffer from permanent cognitive damage they won't be able to live normal lives.

I think you are seriously underestimating just how damaging this virus is, and unless and until there is a vaccine, we won't be able to live "normal lives" for any time in the foreseeable future.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Stephen.R Avatar
67 months ago

Not a single person right now knows the long term affects of this disease because it hasn’t been long enough.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2247086-the-coronavirus-is-leaving-some-people-with-permanent-lung-damage/#


Doctors are reporting growing numbers of people who still have breathlessness and coughing months after falling ill with covid-19, and whose chest scans show evidence of irreversible lung scarring.
Last time I checked, scar tissue is for life buddy.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
The_Lord_of_Apple Avatar
67 months ago

Let me guess "oh **** it let's just get on with our lives". There is a reason the US currently has 406 known deaths per 1M population due to Covid19, vs Australia's... 4.24 known deaths per 1M due to Covid19.
Thanks for writing this because it is hard to educate someone who just doesn't understand how dangerous this virus is. We wouldn't have been in this situation if the hotel fiasco had not occurred.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
martyjmclean Avatar
67 months ago


Attachment Image
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DownUnderDan Avatar
67 months ago

Cases are up, deaths are down. We’re already past the “2 week delay“ in cases translating to deaths. This is because the demo of people getting it now are younger adults. CDC states that the mortality rate for healthy adults under 50 is .04%, which is lower than the flu. Corona virus strains account for 30-40% of all common colds, this is a new strain of the same family. This strain isn’t going to vanish and we simply cant keep locking down forever. Protect our vulnerable population (as we do with any illness) and eventually our bodies will develop a semi immunity/anti bodies..
Just no. Please read more about this pandemic and not just what confirms your bias.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)