McDonald's announced three new measures in order to protect the health and well-being of its franchisees’ employees and customers.

 

Effective August 1, all customers will need to wear face coverings when entering US restaurants. "The intent of this policy is to take a proactive approach and focus on quickly finding solutions when customers are unable or unwilling to wear a face covering. In those situations where a customer declines to wear a face covering, we’ll put in place additional procedures to take care of them in a friendly, expedited way," McDonald's said. "Additionally, we will provide training for our restaurant staff to ensure they are prepared to address this new policy in a friendly and positive way. We also will re-share resources for our and our franchisees’ employees who want to revisit de-escalation training."

Additionally, McDonald's said that it has developed a series of divider panels and retrofit barrier solutions for both front- and back-of-house. The panels are an additional safety measure and not a replacement for consistent PPE execution or adherence to social distancing guidelines, it said.

Finally, to further efforts to slow the surge in COVID-19 cases and protect restaurant teams and customers, McDonald's said it will extend its pause on re-opening dining rooms for another 30 days. "This means we will not approve the re-opening of any additional dining rooms. Locally, any dining room roll back decisions should be guided by state and local guidance. This continues to be an owner/operator-led decision, but we ask that you consult with your Operations Officer and Franchise Business Partner," it said.