Due to the global impact of the pandemic known as COVID-19, McDonald’s has revealed that it is closing down all locations in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The fast-food company made the announcement in a statement yesterday, disclosing that they were shutting down 1,270 of its restaurants in the UK by the end of Monday, March 23 due to the spread of the coronavirus.
“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,” the statement reads.
“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,” the statement continued. “We will work with local community groups to responsibly distribute food and drink from out restaurants in the coming days.”
An update from McDonald’s UK and Ireland — See you soon pic.twitter.com/43moFRrWRR
— McDonald's UK (@McDonaldsUK) March 22, 2020
McDonald’s also shared that its staff employed directly by the company would get paid fully for their scheduled hours until April 5, 2020.
The company’s locations in the United States are still open but with restrictions.
