McDonald's Becomes First Fast-Food Chain to Reinstate Mask Mandate in Certain Locations The requirement will stand whether employees and patrons are vaccinated or not.
By Emily Rella Edited by Jessica Thomas
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
McDonald's has become the first major fast-food chain to reinstate its mask mandate for U.S. customers and staff in high-risk areas of Covid-19 transmission, as cases surge as a result of the Delta variant.
The requirement will stand whether employees and patrons are vaccinated or not.
The fast-food titan originally rolled out mandatory mask mandates last summer during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, removing the requirement per CDC guidelines in May 2021.
Store locations were operating on an honor system model, and masks were still required throughout the entirety of the pandemic for those who were unvaccinated.
The chain has been vocal about its pro-vaccination stance from the jump.
In May, McDonald's announced that it would begin participating in the "We Can Do This" U.S. campaign in an effort to get every American vaccinated, starting by donating its coveted Times Square billboard to raising awareness about the cause.
Shout out to @McDonalds for promoting vaccines! pic.twitter.com/MtP5c1lffs
— Just call me Summer (@savingthedocto1) August 3, 2021
Last month, the chain started rolling out cups and stickers with the campaign slogan printed on them as well as directions on where to find information about vaccinations.
"We all want to protect ourselves and our loved ones and be together with our communities again," Genna Gent, McDonald's USA vice president for global public policy and government relations, said at the time. "This is a team effort — it takes all of us. We're proud to enter this partnership to provide trusted, independently verified information about Covid-19 vaccines to our customers in the nearly 14,000 communities we serve."
Related: McDonald's Apologizes for Understaffing: 'Nobody Wants to Work Anymore'
Certain McDonald's locations, such as in Nashville and the Bay Area, are offering on-site vaccinations so patrons can pull up and receive the shot without having to exit their cars. Those who choose to participate receive a free burger coupon after their vaccination.
As of Monday, 165 million Americans (50.2% of the U.S. population) had been fully vaccinated, with over 347 million doses being given, per Our World in Data.
McDonald's was up over 21.2% year over year as of early Tuesday afternoon.
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