COSTA Coffee will temporarily close all its cafes from this evening - and Nando's and Subways are also closing.

A statement posted on the CostaTwitter account said it would try to keep cafes open in hospitals, with NHS staff to receive free coffee for the next two weeks.

The coffee chain all staff will have their full wages paid for the next eight weeks.

Costa and Nando's are the latest food and drink firms to close all of their outlets in the UK amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Nando's said in a statement on its website that all 420 stores will shut "until further notice", with takeaway and delivery services also suspended.

The company, which employs around 18,000 people, said it is working closely with its teams across the UK to "make sure that everybody affected is supported during the coming weeks".

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The statement read: "The safety and security of our customers and team is always our top priority and with this in mind we have taken the decision to temporarily close all of our restaurants across the UK and Ireland during the course of today, 22nd March, to help limit the spread of Covid-19.

"Eat in, takeaway and delivery for customers will all stop until further notice and our remaining food will be given away to those who need it most across the community."

The closures come after McDonald's announced all of its restaurants in the UK and Ireland will close by 7pm tonight to protect the safety of its employees and customers.

The fast-food chain, which has 135,000 employees in the UK and Ireland, posted a statement about the "difficult decision" to Twitter - adding that stores will close by that time on Monday "at the latest".

Meanwhile, KFC and Burger King remain open for takeaways, with seating areas temporarily closed.