WHY DID McDONALD’S OPEN DAY AFTER POSITIVE COVID TEST?
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
GRAVENHURST — So why did McDonald’s close Friday when they learned an employee has the coronavirus?
Shouldn’t they?
And why less than 24 hours later did they re-open?
Were all other employees tested?
Did they get a clean bill of health?
And what about their customers and the public?
Good questions, you may ask.
We thought so.
Well, first: Because it was their choice to turn off the grills and shut down the McFlurry machine.
Second: The health unit said they didn’t have to close and public health is using contact tracing to see if anyone else needs testing.
Third: The restaurant received a complete overnight disinfection by a certified third-party cleaner.
Fourth: The McHappy Meals are safe.
After McDonald’s received notification in the morning, Sept. 11, of the positive test from the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU), they issued a release
And McDonald’s made the decision to close the restaurant immediately.
They quickly hired a third party certified cleaning company to disinfect the entire restaurant. The outside contractor was one McDonald’s corporate has.
They cleaners conducted the disinfection — and that was McDonald’s choice.
The health unit didn’t order it to do so.
Nope.
They did not require the restaurant to close — but McDonald’s chose to.
The employee who tested positive has not worked in the restaurant since Sept. 8 — their last shift.
For privacy reasons the worker wasn’t identified.
As for testing of all employees, the chain took direction from the public health unit and as part of contact tracing is contacting those individuals who they requested testing to be done.
That would include anyone the worker came in direct contact with is who it would be.
So SMDHU is looking after contacting any individuals who would require to be tested or go into isolation.
In the end they they took the lead from the health department.
The Gravenhurst restaurant — which is back to serving drive-through vehicles, only allowing four customers inside at a time to place counter orders and seating at five tables — is just the latest McD to close due a positive coronavirus employee test.
Any customers who may have visited the restaurant Sept. 8 would are advise to take direction from the experts at the Ontario Public Health by visiting their website at https://www.publichealthontario.ca/en/diseases-and-conditions/infectious-diseases/respiratory-diseases/novel-coronavirus.
Email mark@muskokatoday.com
Celebrating 25 YEARS of ‘Local Online Journalism’
Follow us at Twitter @muskokatodaily
And on Facebook at mclairmont1
Leave your comments at end of story.
Letter to the Editor: news@muskokatoday.com
Subscribe for $25 at https://muskokatoday.com/subscriptions
