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Clothing firm Urban Outfitters has closed all its globally to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The brand, which has a store in Exeter High Street, has become the latest chain to announce closures due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

In a statement a spokesman said: “In an effort to protect our communities, we have decided to close all of our global stores.

“We will continue to pay our store teams during this time. As far as we know, none of our employees have tested positive for Covid-19.

“Stores will not reopen until at least March 28 and because the situation is complex and evolving rapidly, our plans may change. And if they do, we will let you know.”

(Image: Google)

It comes as Apple said it would be closing all of its retail stores outside China until March 27.

It said that “the most effective way to minimise risk of the virus’s transmission is to reduce density and maximise social distance.”

It added: “As rates of new infections continue to grow in other places, we’re taking additional steps to protect our team members and customers.”

Other major retailers have issued statements, saying their shops remain open albeit with special measures such as extra cleaning being implemented.

Holland & Barrett, for example, said: “The health of both our customers and our team members is our biggest priority. We are closely following the advice of Public Health England and the World Health Organisation and introducing a wide variety of measures to minimise the impact to public health.

“Cleaning in our stores has been intensified, with our teams requested to regularly sanitise their hands, and to maintain distance when working with customers, including encouraging customers to use contactless payments where possible.

“Sampling activities have also been temporarily suspended as an additional precautionary measure.

“Any of our team members who show even mild signs of flu-like symptoms have been advised to follow the government advice surrounding medical care and self-isolation, and we are ensuring that team members are supported fully during this time.”