SHOPS, schools, events venues and more have been heavily impacted by the outbreak of coronavirus in the UK with many choosing, or being forced, to shut their doors as a result.

Below is a list of known closures in Brighton and Hove:

Shops - Prime Minister Boris Johnson told cafes, pubs, bars, restaurants, nightclubs, theatres, cinemas, gyms and leisure centres​ to close on the evening of March 20

  • Urban Outfitters, which has a large site at Churchill Square, has closed all of its stores in response to the spread of the virus. It said this measure has been taken "in an effort to protect our communities".
  • All 531 Carphone Warehouse stores in the UK are being shut down leaving almost 3,000 jobs at risk. Owners Dixons Carphone said it hopes to find roles for less than 40 per cent of those affected. The company said it had not yet seen a large hit from the coronavirus crisis across its core chain apart from supply issues, but is “preparing for one”.
  • Fashion and Homeware store Laura Ashley, which has shops in Lewes, Horsham, Eastbourne, Haywards Heath and Crawley, has filed intentions to appoint administrators. It blamed the closure on a "significant" fall in trade following the coronavirus outbreak.
  • Fashion chain Hollister has closed all of its stores outside of the Asia-Pacific region for the foreseeable future, including the Churchill Square site.
  • Many 24-hour Tesco and Asda stores, including the superstore at Brighton Marina, have reduced their opening times following heightened demand for certain items. They will now be open between 6am and 10pm.
  • Rolls-Royce is suspending car production for two weeks, starting on Monday, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Chief executive Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes said the “unprecedented” decision had not been taken lightly.
  • VIP Pizza, with branches in Old Steine and Saltdean, is now only available via delivery, but will be providing free pizzas to hospital staff as well as stocking essential items such as flour, tomatoes, toilet paper and hand sanitiser to help its customers.
  • British Heart Foundation in London Road has closed to "support volunteers and colleagues who may be at a higher risk.
  • McDonalds is closing all stores.
  • Bill's Restaurant will be closed during the coronavirus crisis.

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Venues

  • Seafront events venue Concorde 2 has closed temporarily after the Prime Minister told everyone to avoid pubs, clubs and theatres in a bid to halt the spread of coronavirus. Russell Haynes, boss of Concorde 2, said it would be "irresponsible" to hold events following the advice.
  • Brighton Dome has also been temporarily closed following the government advice on March 16 to "help prevent the spread of coronavirus".
  • Komedia Brighton announce on March 17 it has "made the difficult decision to postpone or cancel all events at the venue until March 31". A spokesman said that "as an independent, unfunded arts venue, there are unprecedented times and we appreciate your continued support in this difficult climate". 
  • Cinema chains Odeon and Cineworld, which have sites in West Street and at Brighton Marina, have announced they are shutting all their UK screens.
  • All Sussex cinemas are now believed to have closed  temporarily.
  • Also in Churchill Square, the Apple store has closed temporarily. The company's chief executive, Tim Cook also announced the company would donate $14,000,000 to coronavirus relief efforts.
  • West Sussex library service has closed all sites until further notice.
  • Chichester Festival Theatre has closed until July at the earliest. It has cancelled all April, May, and June productions.
  • Brighton Museum is "currently closed due to UK government advice on the coronavirus outbreak".
  • Butlin's in Bognor is shut.
  • The Grand hotel has closed "in the interest of safety".

Schools

From Friday March 20 ALL schools will be closed

  • King's School in Hove has closed Year 8 and Year 9, about 250 pupils, after government advice on self-isolation left it with staff shortages. But it said it is taking "all reasonable steps" for the school as a whole to stay open.
  • Brighton College closed for two days of deep cleaning on March 16, and will stay shut for the remainder of this week, after several sixth form students showed signs of covid-19. A school spokesman said that "we are only 4 days away from the end of term so we will keep pupils at home for the period after the deep cleaning, teaching pupils through our new and very exciting on-line teaching platform".
  • Dorothy Stringer in Brighton was forced to close to all Year 8 and 9 students. It later announced, on March, 18, that the whole school would be closed as staff were prioritising "the safety and well being of our community".
  • Blatchington Mill headteacher Ashley Harrold announced on March 17 that it was "with huge regret that I need to inform you that the school will be closed to students with effect from March 18 until the end of the Easter Holidays". He described choosing to shut the Hove school as the "most difficult decision I have made as headteacher". The school has been closed as new self-isolation rules have resulted in a staff shortage.
  • Brighton Metropolitan College announced that it will be suspending face-to-face lessons from 4pm on March 18. Students are expected to follow their usual curriculum and programmes through a remote learning system. 
  • Cardinal Newman School in Hove said on March 17 that it would be closing the following day, reopening for all except Year 8 and 9 pupils on March 19.
  • Bhasvic college in Hove has suspended all lessons until the Easter holidays.
  • Peacehaven Community School announced an "emergency closure" on March 18. It said it had been forced to partly close the school due to a limited number of staff. Year 10 pupils have been told not to attend until March 20.
  • Bexhill Sixth Form College has suspended face-to-face lessons. 

Events

  • Brighton Run2Music has postponed its planned event on May 30 until October 17. The event hosts 5K, 10K and 21K runs with athletes spurred on by DJs playing along the course.
  • Brighton Marathon has been postponed following the outbreak.
  • Brighton Music Conference has made the decision to reschedule the event to September 23rd to 26th.
  • The Pioneer Run 2020 has been cancelled. In its 81st year, organisations have made the decision not to host the event this year "due to the high risk of spreading the Corona Virus Covid 19, particularly in the light of our many older entrants and support crews". Due to take place on March 22, the annual is a journey from Epsom to Shoreham Airport undertaken by a collection ofpre-1915 motorbikes.
  • Pub in the Park. Tom Kerridge has announced today the decision to reschedule this year’s Pub in the Park Summer tour following advice and in the interest of everyone’s health, well-being and confidence. The Chichester event will now take place between August 14 and 16.
  • The Sussex Food and Drinks Awards at the Amex stadium has been delayed until July 1 amid concerns over the virus.
  • The Premier League, Women's Super League, FA and English Football League have suspended all games until at least April 3.
  • Sussex County FA has suspended all games "for the foreseeable future" to "avoid social contact and gatherings where possible".
  • Brighton Festival has been cancelled as it was due to coincide with the predicted peak of coronavirus in the UK - in May. This includes the popular Children's Parade. Organisers say it is unlikely to be rescheduled.
  • Brighton Fringe, which was due to start on May 1, has been postponed until September. The Brighton Artists Open Houses festival running alongside it has been postponed until the same date.
  • The Brighton Foodies Festival has been delayed. It will now take place between September 25-27.
  • The South Downs Beer and  Cider Festival has been cancelled. It was to be held at Old Corn and Hop Exchange at Lewes Town Hall on June 19 and 20. Organiser Peter Mitchell said he was following government advice over mass gatherings".
  • Albion in the Community, Brighton and Hove Albion's official charity, announced on March 18 it has suspended all of its activities within the community until further notice to "minimise the risk of our participants, their families, our staff, and the wider community being impacted by Covid-19".
  • London to Brighton bike ride on June 29 has been cancelled.
  • Petworth Festival on April 16 has been cancelled.
  • The South of England Show, die to be held in Ardingly from June 11 to June 13, has been cancelled.

We will be updating this list daily. If you are aware of any further closures in Brighton and Hove, or Sussex, as a result of coronavirus, please contact harry.bullmore@theargus.co.uk

  • The coronavirus Sussex Crisis Fund has been set up to help those affected by the pandemic. The Argus’s charity and American Express have each donated £50,000 to kick-start the appeal.  Grants will usually be for up to £5,000. More information is available at www.sussexgiving. org.uk/apply. To donate visit www.totalgiving.co.uk/appeal/sussexcrisisfund