High-street pharmacy chain Boots says none of its employees in Ireland are affected by plans to cut more than 4,000 jobs.

The US-owned chain this morning said it was cutting 7% of its UK workforce as part of its plans to mitigate the "significant impact" of COVID-19.

In a statement this morning, Boots Ireland said the announcement “relates to the restructuring of Head Office, store and optician roles across the UK and does not include roles at Boots Ireland.”

It said the Irish arm of the chain would “continue to monitor and review operations across the country.”

The international company, the Walgreens Boots Alliance, noted that Boots UK recorded an 85% drop in footfall in April and recorded a third-quarter operating loss.

It said the total adverse impact of the outbreak on its stores across the world amounted to between $700-$750m (€617 - €661m).

It said the loss was almost entirely outside the US.

Boots Ireland employs 2,000 people in 89 stores.