McDonald’s has “suspended business” in five cities in China, which are at the center of the coronavirus outbreak.
A spokesperson for McDonald’s Asia said in a statement that all restaurant operations will be suspended in Wuhan, Ezhou, Huanggang, Qianjiang and Xiantao effective immediately. News of these closures was first reported by Reuters on Friday morning.
How China’s economy is taking a hit from coronavirus?
“The current outbreak’s likely impact will range from a 0.8% cut to real GDP if the epidemic is controlled within three months, to a 1.9% cost to GDP if the epidemic lasts nine months,” said Mo Ji, chief economist of Greater China for asset management firm AllianceBernstein
And if the outbreak becomes an epidemic, rising expenditure on health care will limit room for spending in other areas, including on infrastructure investment and other stimulus measures aimed at shoring up the economy, it added. The economic effect on Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province and the headquarters of major domestic car and steel producers, is likely to be unavoidable.