McDonald’s says it will not reopen any more of its U.S. dining rooms for at least three weeks.
According the Restaurant Business Online, McDonald’s USA President Joe Erlinger and Mark Salebra, chair of the National Franchise Leadership Alliance, said the company would pause reopening plans “to protect our restaurant teams and customers.”
“Our resiliency will be tested again,” they said. “COVID-19 cases are on the rise—with a 65% increase in infections over the last two weeks. In the last seven days, 32 states saw increasing cases and this number appears to be growing.”
McDonald’s becomes the first major restaurant chain to deliberately halt plans to reopen dining rooms as a result of the resurgence of the virus, though many small chains and independents have taken this step.
Out of the nearly 14,000 McDonald’s, 2,200 had reopened dining rooms.
The company is giving operators the option to close open dining rooms even if restrictions do not require it. McDonald’s also urged operators to be sure to supply employees with enough personal protection equipment as consumer fears of the virus increase again.
