Nintendo of America has made the decision to close all of its US-based repair centers amid the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak around the globe. It’s important to note that the centers have not been reported to have been exposed to COVID-19, and that Nintendo is taking these steps as a preventative measure.
According to a press release, products already at Nintendo repair center “will remain there until repair services resume.” The company will also not let the closures force customers to lose out on repair service access. “If the warranty for a product expires during the closure period,” it reports, “we will honor the warranty for the amount of time our repair centers are closed.”
Updates for when formal repair services will resume will be provided on the official website, with estimates currently unknown. It’s likely going to be a couple of weeks at a minimum. Largely this depends on how quickly authorities within the US can contain the virus and implement mass-testing for new infections, to such a degree that workers and companies feel comfortable with reopening their doors. But since the country is still in the opening stages of the outbreak nationwide, it could take some time for that to happen, if it ever does. There has been considerable backlash and criticism against the Trump administration for their handling of the virus and the mounting numbers of sick and dead.
It’s an unfortunate but necessary step, even as Animal Crossing: New Horizons adds a huge amount of fire to the hype surrounding Nintendo and the Switch. With its massively popular launch selling hundreds of thousands of new consoles, there’s a definite black spot on the otherwise good news thanks to the novel coronavirus pandemic that’s sweeping the globe.
