Quick service restaurant giant, McDonald’s Philippines, has partnered with the National Task Force against COVID-19 (NTF) to provide free COVID-19 RT-PCR testing for its company owned and franchised store employees in NCR as part of the company’s continuous focus on health and safety under its M Safe program.
This partnership of NTF with McDonald’s reinforces the collaboration between the public and private sector for testing and isolation programs. The community testing initiative aims to ensure a safe workplace for its employees and dining experience for its customers. McDonald’s has also recently committed to implement the StaySafe.ph app in its restaurants to improve contact tracing protocols.
McDonald’s Philippines master franchise holder, Dr. George T. Yang, opened the first McDonald’s store in Morayta, Manila in 1981. Since then, McDonald’s in the Philippines has been a strong and relevant player in the country’s quick service restaurant industry, having grown a store network of over 640 across the country. McDonald’s Philippines continues to elevate its community relevance through Ronald McDonald House Charities and McDonald’s Kindness Kitchen in response to COVID-19 pandemic.
“The safety of our employees and customers has always been at the core of our operating culture. It is because of this that we continue to explore and partner with the government and the private sector, to keep the public safe. We believe that more than ever, we have to come together to fight this pandemic to re-start the economy safely and protect the employment of more Filipinos,” said McDonald’s Philippines President and CEO, Kenneth S. Yang.
Beginning September 28 in Palacio de Maynila, one of the Mega Swabbing Facilities set up by the NTF, employees of the company have started to get tested. The company aims to test over 19,000 of its crew and managers in four identified Mega Swabbing Facilities at Mall of Asia Arena (Pasay), Philippine Arena (Sta. Maria, Bulacan), Lakeshore Bicutan (Taguig), and Palacio de Maynila (Manila).
McDonald’s will also be donating three (3) testing booths to one of its long-standing community partners, Pasig City, to support their testing initiatives.
McDonald’s employees will be properly guided and assisted by the company from scheduling, conduct of testing to the release of the results. To limit exposure of the employees and to ensure that the restaurant continues to operate smoothly, only a limited number or crew and managers are scheduled per day. Members of the restaurant management team arranges for the transportation going to the Mega Swabbing Facility, provides assistance on-site for the testing and coordinates the release of results.
Should an employee test positive, McDonald’s will remain in compliance with all the government mandated protocols and will support its employees until they are able to go back to work.
“Through this expanded testing program which we are launching today, you shall not only be ensuring the health and safety of your employees, but also their families and those they come in close contact with every day,” says Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr, Chief Implementer of the National Action Plan Against COVID-19 (NAP COVID-19).
“As we combat the virus, we are very grateful for proactive partners in the private sector such as McDonald’s. Their initiative to test their employees significantly helps strengthen the government’s testing and contact tracing program. We encourage other businesses to follow suit in helping to safely reopen the country’s economy,” says NAP COVID-19 Deputy Chief Implementer Secretary Vince Dizon.
Since the announcement of the enhanced community quarantine, McDonald’s Philippines has been reinforcing its commitment towards safety of people. Under its M Safe program, the company introduced new protocols such as dedicating a safety manager in all its stores and implementing a no-touch policy for Drive-Thru and McDelivery services to ensure employee and customer safety.
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