Ikea closes all stores in China due to coronavirus outbreak
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People walk outside Europe's biggest Ikea store in Sweden.
PHOTO: AFP
STOCKHOLM (REUTERS, AFP) - Sweden's IKEA said on Thursday (Jan 30) that it has temporarily closed all its stores in China because of the outbreak of the new coronavirus.
The decision to close all of its 30 stores follows an announcement from world's biggest furniture retailer on Wednesday that it was closing around half of its stores and shortening the opening hours.
Ikea had last week closed its store in Wuhan, the city where the outbreak originated in late 2019.
Chinese authorities said Wednesday that the number of confirmed deaths from the virus has risen to 170 nationwide, with the confirmed total of infections now nearly 8,000 worldwide.
Ikea said it was working with authorities in the cities and regions where it operates and was monitoring the situation closely, and would "act in accordance with their recommendations as this situation is evolving."
It said Ikea employees at the affected stores were "asked to stay at home until further notice with paid leave."
The company has a total of 14,000 employees in China.
The outbreak is feared to have a serious impact on the global economy, with air traffic already disrupted and industrial production, international trade and tourism affected.
