Fast-food restaurants resort to takeout and delivery options amidst COVID-19 pandemic
By Georgia Wheeler
In an attempt to stay open and stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of the fast-food chains in America have closed dining rooms to offer drive-thru and delivery options only.
A number of restaurants, including Chick-fil-a and McDonald’s, are partnering with third party delivery services, such as UberEats, Doordash and Postmates to serve their customers.
Mark Hufford, operator of two Chick-fil-a stores in Arkansas told Fox Business, “Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve been trying to manage a very unique and inevitable tension, which is keeping the teams in my two Chick-fil-a stores employed- while keeping them and our customers safe.”
The CDC recommends that food service workers wash their hands for at least 20 seconds under warm water when switching tasks, using the restroom, blowing your nose or coughing or sneezing.
Businesses are also taking extra precautions like frequent wiping of surfaces, deep cleaning, and ensuring that front of house workers are wearing gloves, according to USA today.
As part of their precautionary measures, McDonald’s franchises announced last week that they planned to roll out wellness checks for workers. This includes requiring them to answer a series of questions regarding possible COVID-19 symptoms and/or exposure before they clock in to work. The company also plans to take employee’s temperatures in the coming weeks, as well as obtain masks for workers in the virus’s “hotspot” areas.
There is a very low risk of contracting the virus by eating from a fast-food restaurant, according to CNN and the CDC.
Benjamin Chapman, professor and food safety specialist at the University of North Carolina told CNN, “Any real risk of contamination would come from the worker handing out the food.”
Chapman advises people choosing to order takeout or delivery to pick up all packages of food with gloves, open the packaging with the gloves, remove the gloves and then thoroughly wash their hands.
Although the risk of contracting COVID-19 from food stands to be minimal, restaurants and consumers alike must take precautions going forward to help control the spread of the virus.
