McDonald’s HALTS planned reopening of restaurants after surge in coronavirus cases

MCDONALD’S has halted its planned reopening of restaurants after a surge in coronavirus cases.

The fast-food chain said on Wednesday that it would not be reopening its restaurants for another three weeks, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Getty Images - Getty

Dine-in restrictions have been put in place[/caption]

The restrictions will be placed on dine-in and will not affect the chain’s drive-through, takeout and delivery operations.

“Our resiliency will be tested again. Covid-19 cases are on the rise,” said a company letter by McDonald’s US President Joe Erlinger, and head of the National Franchisee Leadership Alliance owners association, Mark Salebra.

The letter reportedly said that the restaurants that began offering dine-in services back in May are allowed to continue doing so if their jurisdiction allows it.

However, McDonald’s has decided to stop additional openings.

Currently, around 2,200 of its 14,000 restaurants allow customers to eat inside.

AFP or licensors

Some restaurants will not be allowing dine-in for another three weeks[/caption]

In the letter the moguls also said that workers will need to wear gloves and masks, with customers wearing face coverings.

“This surge shows nobody is exempt from this virus—even places that previously had very few cases,” the document read.

In April, McDonald’s workers walked out in protest after learning that a female co-worker tested positive for coronavirus.

Employees at the restaurant in Los Angeles staged a strike and demanded more safety equipment after hearing about positive diagnosis.

“We don’t yet know exactly who tested positive,” Bartolome Perez, a 30-year cook at McDonald’s, told Fox 11.

“One of our other co-workers let people know that a female worker had tested positive for the virus Monday or Tuesday.”

Workers are demanding the company provide protective equipment such as masks to help keep workers safe during the pandemic.

Employees have pleaded with McDonald’s to send more gear for more than a month, Perez said.

They’re also curious as to why the fast food chain didn’t tell them about their sick colleague.

“We’ve been pleading for protective equipment for more than a month now, but McDonald’s is putting profits ahead of our health,” he told the news station.

“We don’t want to die for McDonald’s burgers and fries.”