First the pubs, now the takeaways. McDonald's have taken the decision to close all of their branches in Ireland and the UK due to ongoing public health concerns.
The Irish leg of the American fast food giant had remained open until this point, but will close all restaurants by 7pm tomorrow evening at the latest.
In a statement released on their Twitter account, they said that they will reopen as soon as it is deemed safe to do so.
An update from McDonald’s UK and Ireland — See you soon pic.twitter.com/43moFRrWRR
— McDonald's UK (@McDonaldsUK) March 22, 2020
We have taken the difficult decision to close all McDonald's restaurants in the UK and Ireland by 7pm on Monday 23rd March at the latest.
This is not a decision we are taking lightly, but one made with the well-being and safety of our employees in mind as well as in the best interests of our customers. We will work with local community groups to responsibly distribute food and drink from our restaurants in the coming days.
Thank you to our brilliant employees for their hard work during this incredibly challenging time. We look forward to seeing you all again as soon as it is safe for us to reopen.
While the Government has not enforced closures of restaurants as has been done with pubs, a number have taken the decision to close regardless.
McDonald's is the latest to be added to that list, and it is likely we will see other big names in the industry follow suit in the coming days and weeks.
