Title : McDonald's says employees with Covid-19 manned 9 outlets; all workers to be paid during operational pause
Date : 20 Apr 2020
Source : Todayonline
SINGAPORE - All McDonald’s Singapore employees - including part-timers - who were scheduled to work for the next two weeks but have had their jobs disrupted by a temporary closure of all outlets will be paid, the fast-food chain told TODAY on Monday (April 20).
Amid reports that seven of its employees had contracted Covid-19, McDonald’s announced on Sunday that it had suspended all its restaurant operations in Singapore, including delivery and drive-through services, until May 4.
McDonald’s also provided the case details of all seven employees - who were restaurant managers or crew members - in response to TODAY’s queries on Monday. They were quarantined in medical facilities immediately. The affected restaurants were also closed for deep cleaning as soon as the chain was told about the infections.
On Monday, the Ministry of Health told TODAY that in all, the staff with Covid-19 had worked at nine McDonald’s outlets as of 12pm on Saturday.
The seven infected staff members were from six outlets: Lido, Forum Galleria, Parklane, Geylang East Central, Changi Airport Terminal 3 and its drive-through store at a Shell petrol kiosk in Tampines, McDonald’s stated previously.
The fast-food chain told TODAY on Sunday, however, that it had moved crew members across different outlets during the circuit breaker owing to manpower needs.
In response to further queries from TODAY on Monday, McDonald’s disclosed that the additional three outlets where infected staff worked were Changi Airport Terminal 2, Pasir Ris Central and Pasir Ris Sports Complex.
The temporary cessation of McDonald's restaurant operations came after MOH directed it to suspend operations at all outlets as well as its delivery and drive-through services until May 4 as a "preventative action" against Covid-19.
The directive was issued "to prevent a possible outbreak, and to prevent or reduce the spread of Covid-19", MOH told TODAY.
On Friday, McDonald’s had taken less drastic action by stopping takeaways from April 18 to May 4, but was proposing to continue with deliveries and drive-throughs - until Sunday’s announcement superseded that move.
McDonald’s employs more than 10,000 full-time and part-time staff in Singapore. This includes employees working in its corporate headquarters, restaurant crew as well as McDelivery riders. In usual times, it serves more than six million customers every month.
It has more than 135 restaurants, 17 drive-throughs, 42 dessert kiosks and 48 McCafe outlets in Singapore.
McDonald’s said that the latest employee who tested positive for Covid-19 last worked on April 10 and the last date for the store closures due to these cases was April 16.
Here are the cases reported at its restaurants as detailed by McDonald’s:
Employee 1: The employee worked at McDonald’s Lido outlet and last worked on April 2. The employee was also attached to McDonald’s Parklane restaurant for one day on March 30. The employee visited a doctor on April 3 for a sore throat and fever, and was given a five-day medical certificate. The employee visited the doctor again on April 8 and was sent for a swab test.
Employee 2: The employee, who worked at McDonald’s Lido restaurant, last worked on April 3, and had rest days from April 4 to April 6. The employee visited the doctor on April 7 for joint pains and muscle aches.
Employee 3: The employee worked at McDonald’s Parklane store and last worked on April 8. The employee was also attached to McDonald’s Lido outlet on March 30, April 1, 2, 3 and 6. The employee visited the doctor on April 9 for a fever.
Employee 4: The employee worked at McDonald’s Forum Galleria store and last worked on April 8. The employee is a roommate of Employee 3. Although Employee 4 was not unwell, the company requested that the employee go for a swab test on April 10.
Employee 5: The employee worked at McDonald’s Geylang East Central store and last worked on April 8. The employee visited the doctor on April 9 for a fever and was referred to a hospital for a swab test.
Employee 6: The employee worked at McDonald's restaurant at Changi Airport Terminal 3 and was last on duty on April 10. The employee was on leave on April 11 and April 12, visited the doctor on April 13 for a cough, and was sent for a swab test.
Employee 7: This employee worked at McDonald’s store at Changi Airport Terminal 2 until the restaurant closed for business on April 1. Afterwards, the employee was attached to McDonald’s outlets at Pasir Ris Central and Pasir Ris Sports Complex and McDonald’s Shell Tampines, a drive-through store. The employee’s last day at work was April 10. The employee visited a doctor on April 13 for a cough and was given a five-day medical certificate. The employee was sent for a swab test on April 15.
McDonald’s reiterated that as a "common retail practice", it was necessary to have a base level of employees run a restaurant. At times, it might deploy employees to other restaurants to provide support.
Precautions, including temperature-taking and safe distancing, had been in place since early April, it added.
The fast-food chain said it immediately stopped all people movement "with a ‘stay in position’ principle" after the confirmation of the first few Covid-19 cases among its employees, and even before the official MOH advisory on the matter.
"We are and will continue to be in close contact with the MOH to support them in any way we can," McDonald’s said.
In its response to TODAY’s queries on Monday, its spokesperson also said: "We will continue to pay salaries to those employees scheduled to work during these two weeks but whose roles have now been disrupted. At this point, we want our employees to stay home and rest assured that their jobs are secure."
