McDonald's closes more S'pore outlets indefinitely after another 2 employees test positive for Covid-19

SINGAPORE — McDonald’s has closed its restaurant at Changi Airport Terminal 3 and a “drive-thru” store at a Shell petrol kiosk along Tampines Ave 2 after two employees tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of infected staff to seven.

In response to queries from TODAY, the fast-food chain said in a statement on Saturday (April 18) that both outlets “were closed for deep-cleaning as soon as we were notified of the confirmed Covid-19 cases, and will remain closed until further notice”.

“In addition, we immediately advised all employees working in the same restaurant to serve a company-imposed 14-day leave of absence,” it added.

McDonald’s had said on April 12 that five of its employees have been diagnosed with Covid-19 and that they worked at the outlets at Lido, Forum Galleria, Parklane and Geylang East Central.

All four restaurants have undergone deep cleaning and were closed until further notice, it said then.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced that it had found an additional case to the McDonald’s cluster.

She was Case 3217, a 74-year-old Singaporean woman.

On Friday, MOH said it found a seventh case in the cluster. She is Case 4579, a 36-year-old female Chinese national.

Both were admitted to Changi General Hospital.

McDonald’s told TODAY that the 74-year-old Singaporean worked at the Changi Airport Terminal 3 outlet and last worked on April 10.

“The employee was on leave on April 11 and 12 and visited the doctor on April 13 for a cough, and was sent for a swab test,” it added.

Its seventh employee who tested positive for Covid-19 last worked at the Shell Tampines “drive-thru” store on April 10.

“The employee visited the doctor on April 13 for a cough, and was given a five-day medical certificate. The employee was sent for a swab test on April 15.”

In a separate statement, a Shell spokesman said that it has closed the Tampines Ave 2 service station as a precautionary measure for thorough cleaning and disinfection before reopening at 7am on April 24.

It added that all its staff members at the kiosk are well and have been advised to stay home and monitor their health.

“We continue to monitor the situation closely to ensure the well-being of our people and the customers we serve,” the spokesman added.