McDonald's is Closing All Locations in United Kingdom & Ireland Due to Coronavirus Pandemic

McDonald’s has announced that they are closing all locations in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The fast-food company released a statement on Sunday (March 22) that they are closing 1,270 of its restaurants in the UK by the end of Monday, March 23 amid coronavirus pandemic.

“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.”

McDonald’s also announced that staff employed directly by the company would receive full pay for their scheduled hours until April 5.

As of right now, McDonald’s locations in the United States remain open with restricted hours.