McDonald’s restaurant in Greater Manchester lockdown zone is forced to shut

A McDonald’s restaurant in Greater Manchester has been temporarily closed after a coronavirus outbreak among staff.

Five workers at a branch in Stockport town centre have tested postive for Covid-19, the fast-food chain confirmed. 

It comes as a ‘major incident’ was declared in Greater Manchester yesterday after a spike in infection rates.  

Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, urged residents to stay calm after public service leaders decided to increase their readiness as they grapple with the escalating coronavirus transmission rates in the region. 

Areas of the north-west are already under increased lockdown restrictions announced last week after a spike in cases.

The new measures forbid people from different households from meeting each other inside their homes or in gardens, while also banning separate households from mixing in pubs, restaurants and other hospitality venues. 

A McDonald’s spokesperson said: ‘We have proactively decided to temporarily close our Stockport restaurant as a precautionary measure following a rise of Covid-19 cases in the local area with five of our employees testing positive.

‘We have been in contact with all the restaurant employees and also with Public Health England and the Environmental Health Officer.

‘As with all of the decisions we have made across this unprecedented period, the safety of our people and customers is our absolute priority, and we will re-open as soon as we feel we can.’ 

Out of the top 20 worst affected local authority areas for Covid-19 infections in England, Greater Manchester boroughs – home to almost 3 million people – comprise more than a third of the list, with seven entries.

Oldham, the second worst affected borough in the country, recorded a seven-day infection rate rise from 41.6 to 62.8 per 100,000 people, with 148 new cases reported in the past week.  

The latest figures from Public Health England show Stockport’s coronavirus infection rate more than trebled from 8.2 infections per 100,000 people on July 22 to 26 per 100,000 people a week later.   

Stockport MP Navendu Mishra told the Manchester Evening News he had written to McDonald’s to raise his concerns about the outbreak after being contacted by worried members of staff.

He said: ‘My main concern is the health and safety of staff members, customers and family members of the workforce.

‘As a community we expect a company with McDonald’s’ resources to have A* safety measures in place.

‘If this turns out not to be the case we should all ask why. My advice to all workers in McDonald’s is to join the Bakers Union to protect themselves and their families.’

Mr Mishra also tweeted: ‘Worried members of staff at @McDonaldsUK Wellington Rd Sth have contacted me to inform me of a £Covid19 outbreak amongst workers.

‘I have contacted management & discussed with @FastfoodRights @bfawu1how best to protect workers and our community.

‘Health must come before profit.’