Every Greggs store in the UK will shut down on Tuesday.

The bakery chain said it took the "difficult decision" to shut all it branches to help people maintain the social distance that's needed to stop the spread of the coronavirus

It wrote: "To keep everyone as safe as possible we’ve made the difficult decision to close all of our shops on Tuesday 24th March.

Greggs shared details of its lockdown plan on Twitter and also paid tribute to people working to halt the pandemic. 

"There are so many unsung heroes and we're in awe of you all," it continued.

"We've been doing everything we can to keep our shops open and everyone safe but it has become clear that to help us all maintain social distance we need to go further and close all our shops completely."

READ MORE: Coronavirus in Scotland: Health Secretary blasts SNP colleague for ignoring distancing rules

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has repeatedly stressed that social distancing rules are "not optional" and must be followed.

She has now called on all politicians to physically close their constituency offices and lead by example.

Last Friday, Boris Johnson ordered the closure of all pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes in the UK.