Apple is temporarily shuttering brick-and-mortar stores surrounding the nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., in preparation of Inauguration Day on Jan. 20.
Both Apple Stores in the District of Columbia — Apple Carnegie Library and Apple Georgetown — closed their doors on Thursday as police, the National Guard and other state and federal law enforcement agencies brace for expected unrest. The stores will remain shut through Jan. 20, according to Apple’s retail webpage.
Nearby outlets Apple Clarendon and Apple Pentagon City in Arlington, Va., as well as Apple Bethesda Row in Bethesda, Md., will close on Jan. 16.
It is unclear when Apple plans to reopen the stores.
As noted by 9to5Mac, which reported on the store closures earlier today, Apple has erected fencing and barricades at its Carnegie Library flagship to prevent break-ins should a riot occur. Similar structures were put in place after the location was looted following the George Floyd protests in May.
Along with city-wide precautions, businesses are taking extra steps to secure buildings and storefronts after a pro-Trump mob overran the Capitol building during last week’s insurrection. Government officials are taking a proactive approach to the coming inauguration and have called in thousands of National Guard units to protect the capital leading up to President-elect Biden’s swearing-in ceremony next week.
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