Urgent warning after an Australian McDonald's worker is diagnosed with coronavirus - and the restaurant is staying OPEN
- The worker, from the Fawkner store in Melbourne, tested positive this week
- The infected staff member last worked in the store on Thursday, April 30
- Health department didn't tell the outlet to ask any other employees to isolate
- The store asked seven workers and one manager to self-isolate for 14 days
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
A McDonald's worker has tested positive for coronavirus, but the fast food restaurant remains open to the public.
The employee, from the Fawkner store in Melbourne's north, tested positive earlier this week.
The infected staff member last worked in the store on Thursday, April 30.
McDonald's Australia told 3AW on Thursday that the health department didn't tell the outlet to ask any other employees to isolate or get tested.
But the fast food giant asked seven workers and one manager to self-isolate for 14 days as a precaution.
The employee, from the Fawkner store (pictured) in Melbourne's north, tested positive earlier this week. The staff member last work in the store on April 30
McDonald's Australia confirmed in a statement that an employee at the Fawkner outlet has been diagnosed with COVID-19, and is now and is self-isolating at home
McDonald's Australia confirmed in a statement that an employee at the Fawkner outlet has been diagnosed with COVID-19, and is now and is self-isolating at home.
'There is no suggestion the employee was exposed to COVID-19 in the restaurant. The employee last worked at the restaurant on Thursday 30 April,' the statement read.
'We have notified all restaurant employees and received official confirmation of a positive diagnosis from the Department of Health this morning.
'The Fawkner restaurant has continued to conduct strict cleaning and sanitisation procedures and remains open.'
The McDonald's case comes as another 13 workers tested positive to COVID-19 at a Cedar Meats in Melbourne's west, bringing the cluster's total to 62.
But Premier Daniel Andrews has hosed down any concerns about his government's handling of the outbreak.
'This has been a model example...of dealing with an outbreak,' he told reporters on Thursday.
Share this article
The fresh cases at the facility include seven infected workers and six of their close contacts.
They are among 14 new infections in Victoria on Thursday, bringing the state's total to 1454.
Mr Andrews said the new cases at Cedar Meats demonstrate just how contagious the illness is.
'That's the nature of outbreaks. This is a very infectious disease, it spreads rapidly,' he told reporters.
An abattoir worker tested positive to COVID-19 on April 2, but the workplace wasn't regarded as an exposure site because the employee had told health officials they hadn't been at work for weeks.
The McDonald's case comes as another 13 workers tested positive to COVID-19 at a Cedar Meats in Melbourne's west, bringing the cluster's total to 62
The second case linked to the workplace was diagnosed on April 24, followed by a third case about 24 hours later.
The second case linked to the workplace was diagnosed on April 24, followed by a third case about 24 hours later.
The department took further actions, including closing the site, on April 29.
Mr Andrews said health officials were right not to question the account given by the worker who tested positive on April 2.
'If you say I have not been at work for four weeks, then we take you on face value,' he said.
'If you looked where people said they hadn't been, well that wouldn't have any sense and we could never have enough staff to do it.'
He noted Australia's Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy had commended the state government's handling of the outbreak at a meeting earlier in the week.
'I am very confident that everything that can be done is being done by a dedicated team of contact tracers,' he said.
The meat facility outbreak has rocked Victoria ahead of a national cabinet expected to outline a relaxation on coronavirus restrictions.
Comments 0
Share what you think
No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.
