McDonald’s worker in Melbourne tests positive for coronavirus – just weeks after a fast food COVID cluster sparked an outbreak in the city’s north
- A McDonald’s worker from Melbourne has tested positive for coronavirus
- The crew member and other staff from the Mill Park store are self-isolating
- Restaurant closed for a deep clean and has now re-opened
- It comes just weeks after a McDonald’s delivery driver sparked an outbreak
- Hundreds of workers were forced to self-isolate and a dozen stores closed
A McDonald’s worker in Melbourne has tested positive for coronavirus as Victoria battles to deal with an outbreak of the disease.
Staff at the McDonald’s restaurant in Mill Park in the city’s north were sent an email on Friday informing them the worker was self-isolating.
‘When we were informed we immediately reviewed which Crew/ Managers have been in close contact with this employee over the last 14 days,’ a letter to staff read.
‘We have contacted these employees personally and have directed them to self-isolate. They are not working in the restaurant.’
The restaurant was closed for a ‘deep clean’ and has since re-opened.
“The individual is currently self-isolating at home and all potential workplace close contacts have been instructed not to return to work for 14 days,’ McDonald’s said in a statement.
It comes just weeks after a delivery driver linked to the Fawkner McDonald’s store, 10 minutes west of Mill Park, sparked a coronavirus outbreak in the area after infecting a worker at a Craigieburn store.
Staff at the McDonald’s restaurant in Mill Park in the city’s north were sent an email on Friday
Hundreds of McDonald’s workers were forced to isolate and a dozen restaurants across Melbourne’s north were closed as the fast food giant scrambled to get the situation under control.
Victoria recorded another 33 COVID-19 cases on Thursday, giving new impetus to a testing blitz, which aims to reach 50 per cent of residents in 10 virus hotspots.
Among those to reportedly test positive was a cleaner at Melbourne’s Flinders St Station.
The cleaner had only spent 30 minutes at the station in the past two weeks, their employer said in an email quoted by the Herald Sun.
Keilor Downs, Broadmeadows, Maidstone, Albanvale, Sunshine West, Hallam, Brunswick West, Fawkner, Reservoir and Pakenham all have high rates of community transmission.
‘The first three days are solely focused on Keilor Downs and Broadmeadows, but we will move to the balance of those suburbs over the course of a 10-day period,’ Premier Daniel Andrews said on Thursday.
About 10,000 residents will be tested each day in the 10 suburbs by 800 staff in a fleet of mobile testing vans.
It comes the day after Victoria announced a testing blitz after 33 COVID-19 cases (stock)
The premier said the government did not want to impose local lockdown, but it was important to get an idea of how the virus is spreading.
Victoria has been processing 18,000 tests a day, but that will ramp up to 25,000, with NSW, South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland helping to process the virus tests.
‘This is a public health bushfire and when it comes to the bushfires, we always work together,’ Mr Andrews said.
Of the 33 new cases, seven are returned travellers, nine are linked to known and contained outbreaks, six emerged after routine testing and the origin of another 11 cases are under investigation.
Thursday’s figure was the highest daily number of new cases in Victoria since the surge started last week.
Community engagement in the local government areas of Brimbank, Casey, Cardinia, Darebin, Hume and Moreland has also been ramped up after they were identified as coronavirus hotspots.
Victoria has been processing 18,000 tests a day, but that will ramp up to 25,000 (drive-thru testing facility in Melbourne on Thursday)