SUPERMACS HAS SAID that it will close all of its seating areas this evening, with all stores then set to be closed by 7pm on Thursday as it becomes the latest outlet to take such measures in response to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Last night, McDonald’s said all its Irish locations would close this evening with the likes of Starbucks, Krispy Kreme and Subway also saying it would close its outlets today.

The government hasn’t strictly told these places to close but has repeatedly emphasised the importance of social distancing in combatting the spread of coronavirus.

However, many businesses have made their own calls to shut their doors in the interests of staff and public safety.

Earlier today, the Taoiseach expressed concern about reports of large numbers of people in public spaces over the weekend.

This weekend, large crowds were seen in public parks and other areas around the country, including Howth in Dublin. 

The Dublin Fire Brigade issued a warning to people on Twitter about “worrying scenes” in Howth yesterday. 

Today, Beschoff Bros said it would be closing its stores – including its Howth site – until further notice but that people could still order from it online.

“We hope that everyone stays safe and healthy and we hope to open our doors to you all very soon,” it said.

In its statement, Supermacs said that it had made the decision to close “due to the ever changing challenges presented by the health crisis”.

It said: “All outlets will be closed by Thursday 26 March at 7pm. This is to allow the emergency services that are using the outlets for food to make alternative arrangements. All seating areas in our lobbies will close tonight and remain closed.

We would like to thank our staff and customers in these challenging times. We would also like to thank the emergency services personnel and wish them well in their efforts in unprecedented times.

In its notice, Starbucks said the health of its customers and staff was of the “highest priority” so the decision was made to close.

There was a similar message from Krispy Kreme as it said it was closing until further notice.

Subway said closing was the “best thing to help support social distancing and keep everyone as healthy as possible for as long as possible”.

Earlier, Dublin Town said that footfall had fallen as high as 85% in some areas of the city in the past weeks as businesses shut their doors en masse.

In a separate move today, Cork County Council said it was calling on all mobile traders to cease trading in open spaces, beaches and parks to help control the spread of the virus.