McDonald's uses tape to create coronavirus social distancing boxes for people waiting in queue

A McDonald's restaurant has created individual areas for queuing customers in order to stop the spread of coronavirus.

The branch in Cambridge tried its best to adhere to the social distancing advice given by the Government.

Boris Johnson ordered the closing down of the hospitality and entertainment sectors on Friday amid fears the NHS will be overwhelmed unless the COVID-19 outbreak is checked.

Apprentice Aircraft Engineer Ollie Smith, 22, saw the taped off areas when he visited the McDonald’s in Cambridge on Thursday.

The boxes, intended for customers to stand in while waiting to collect their food, were marked out with red tape and spaced two-floor tiles apart from each other.

Mr Smith said: "Nobody was told to stand in the boxes, but you knew what the intention of the boxes was for."

Inside the store was empty, he said, but the drive-thru was “packed”.

He added: "I couldn’t believe how real this was becoming.

"I felt bad for the staff who were working extremely hard on the drive-thru."

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The fast-food giant previously announced it would close all seating and children's play areas in the fight against coronavirus.

Toilets and hand-washing facilities will stay open where possible, it said.

The Prime Minister announced the closure of pubs and restaurants at a Downing Street news conference on Friday following reports that many people were ignoring an earlier voluntary appeal to stay away.

While he acknowledged the ban went against the “freedom-loving instincts” of the British people, he said it was essential to achieve the 75% reduction in “unnecessary” social contacts required to reduce the rate of infection.

It was not clear exactly how the measures – backed by the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – will be enforced, although the Prime Minister indicated it could be done through the licensing system.

The move came as a further 39 people in England were confirmed to have died after testing positive for Covid-19, bringing the UK death toll to 177.