Leading Irish retailers are set to shut their doors from today onwards amid the coronavirus outbreak.
High end department stores Brown Thomas on Grafton Street and Arnotts on Henry Street will close at 5pm today until further notice.
The stores had previously said that they would remain open over the weekend but they have since changed their decision, RSVP Live reports.
An announcement sent to staff via the company app said: "The decision was made after giving the utmost consideration to our team members wellbeing, their families, our customers, our partners.
A spokesperson for Brown Thomas added: "As Ireland, and the wider world, responds to the rapidly-shifting challenges of COVID-19, we at Brown Thomas Arnotts want to wish everyone good health and wellbeing at this very difficult time.
"Our utmost priority remains the health, safety and wellbeing of our customers, team members and the wider community during these testing times.
"We have been closely monitoring this dynamic situation, including the recommendations and requirements being issued by the Health Service Executive and all other relevant authorities.
"As a result, we have taken the decision to temporarily close all Brown Thomas, BT2 and Arnotts physical stores from 5pm today, Wednesday March 18th, until further notice."
Customers can continue to shop on the Brown Thomas and Arnotts websites.
Brown Thomas and Arnotts currently employ just over 4,000 people.
A spokesperson told RTÉ that some staff members "will be required to support their digital operations".
