McDonald's affected by coronavirus cluster reopens despite active cases
A McDonald’s in Melbourne’s north has reopened its doors after a number of employees were diagnosed with coronavirus.
The restaurant at Fawkner closed temporarily on Friday following two confirmed cases of COVID-19 among workers.
But that number grew to four on Thursday, along with four family members of one of the Macca’s workers, a McDonald’s spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia.
“We are checking in with each of our affected employees daily and confirm they are self-isolating at home with mild to no symptoms,” the spokesperson said.
“We continue to work collaboratively with the Department of Health. All employees have been instructed not to return to work for 14 days and advised to be tested.
“While the majority of our employees’ test results have so far returned negative, we cannot, of course, guarantee there may not be another positive result in the coming days.”
Victoria’s health department said on Wednesday, 92 employees have been tested as a precaution.
“McDonald’s closed the restaurant to undertake a deep clean,” it said.
“All close contacts of confirmed cases have been contacted by the department and will remain in quarantine for 14 days.”
The restaurant reopened on Wednesday. The McDonald’s spokesperson said employees from nearby restaurants are covering for those in self-isolation. It’s also undergone a deep clean.
Despite the outbreak, customers are still flocking to the restaurant. People were seen ordering drive-thru on Thursday morning.
The health department has played down the risks of people catching the virus when visiting the restaurant.
“There is no evidence COVID-19 can be transmitted to people through food or packaging, and the risk of anyone visiting the McDonalds contracting the virus is very low,” it said.
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