As the world goes into panic mode, Manchester's first casualty of the coronavirus slowdown is the excellent Kai restaurant on Deansgate.
Only opened in Janaury 2019, and occupying the former Prezzo and Cafe Rouge unit, the stunning Turkish restaurant struggled to get a foothold on a notoriously difficult stretch to do business.
With many Mancunians currently choosing to avoid public places, and coming just after a remarkably quiet start to the year for many city centre restaurants, the coronavirus outbreak was the nail in the coffin for the beautiful venue.
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Sadly, it is unlikely to be the only closure, as we are getting news of many others under similar financial pressure, with stories of staff being laid off all across the sector.
Despite only a tiny fraction of coronavirus cases in the UK having come from people having travelled from China - the vast majority in the UK coming from Italy - the Chinese restaurants in the region, and in particular Chinatown, seem to have suffered the biggest drop in trade, particulalry from within their own community, with owners warning of permanent closure.
Many restaurants in London'sChinatown have already temporarily closed and it only seems a matter of time before Manchester follows suit, despite only five cases of COVID-19 being diagnosed in the city and the vast majority of people being at no risk.
