The McDonald’s Corporation has encouraged its franchises to consider closing indoor dining rooms in areas where COVID-19 infections are surging.
After reinstating its mask-wearing requirements for all customers regardless of vaccination status in early August, McDonald’s is considering additional steps to keep customers safe as the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus spreads.
“Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve worked closely with our franchisees to drive our value of putting the well-being of restaurant crew at the forefront of our decision making,” the fast-food chain said in a statement to Food & Wine.
“We’re monitoring the impact of the Delta variant closely and recently convened together with our franchisees to underscore existing safety protocols, reinforce our people first approach and provide updates on the rise in cases in the country.”
In early 2020, McDonald’s closed its doors to indoor dining entirely. However, by last month, nearly 70% of its locations had reopened inside, Reuters reported.
“We have a much deeper sense of what actions make a difference for the safety of our restaurant teams and crew,” company president Joe Erlinger said last week.
The corporation recommends franchisees in areas with more than 250 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people.
“We’re monitoring the impact of the Delta variant closely and recently convened together with our franchisees to underscore existing safety protocols reinforce our people first approach and provide updates on the rise in cases in the country,” the company said in a statement Friday.
Although it’s laid out its recommendations, the corporate office said any future closure decisions will be made by local operators.
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