Corporate efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus now include the nation’s largest hamburger chain, and McDonald’s announced Friday that it will require customers to wear masks at all of its more than 14,000 restaurants in the United States.
Noting that the country has recorded 1 million new cases of COVID-19 in the past two weeks alone, McDonald’s said in a press release that it “will ask all customers to put on facial covers when entering our American restaurants from from August 1 “.
Almost 82% of McDonald’s restaurants are located in states or localities that currently require masks for workers and customers alike, but “it is important to protect the safety of all employees and customers,” according to the statement by the president of McDonald’s USA, Joe Erlinger, and National Franchise Leadership Alliance President Mark Salebra.
Many Americans continue to resist wearing masks despite the scientific consensus that the practice saves lives, a reality recognized by a lot of retailers as well as McDonald’s.
“We will provide training for our restaurant staff to ensure they are prepared to approach this new policy in a friendly and positive manner,” said the executives. “We will also re-share resources for our employees and those of our franchisees who want to revisit downscaling training.”
If a consumer enters a McDonald’s without a mask, one will be offered, and those who refuse will be directed to a designated place to pick up and wait for their order at a safe distance from others.
McDonald’s will again delay reopening its dining rooms for another 30 days, continuing a three week break from previous reopening plans that were enacted by Erlinger and Salebra in late June.
The halt in the McDonald’s deployment came after the restaurant chain reintroduced the service in May, about two months after the company closed its dining rooms to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
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