McDonald’s and Domino’s staff to have temperatures scanned before shifts

Staff working at fast food outlets in Australia will now have to undergo temperature checks before starting their shift.

news.com.au

MAY 27, 2020

Workers at fast food restaurants will now have their temperatures checked at the start of their shifts as part of new post-coronavirus measures.

McDonald’s and Domino’s have begun rolling out temperature testing for their staff with no touch infra-red thermometers, according to The Age.

The tests have become common in some countries for workers and shoppers, but a union boss says it compromises workers’ privacy, and others say the tests aren’t an effective way to stop the spread of coronavirus.

A spokeswoman for McDonald’s announced on Tuesday staff at the fast food chains in Victoria wouldn’t be able to work their shift unless they agreed to have their temperatures taken before work.

Staff who had a temperature above 38 degrees would have to go home or talk to a doctor, according to the new policy.

“We continue to trial the use of temperature checks in accordance with the government’s previously published advice and the best interests of the health and safety of our people and customers,” the McDonald’s spokeswoman said.

A spokeswoman from Domino’s said the company had implemented its own “rigorous” hygiene practices which included also temperature checks as well as social distancing and using hand sanitiser.

A cluster of 12 coronavirus cases was recently linked to a McDonald’s restaurant in Fawkner in Melbourne. The business temporarily closed some of its closed dine in restaurants across Melbourne, however it continued to operate through its delivery service.

Josh Cullinan, the secretary of the Retail and Fast Food Workers Union, told The Age the scans were a “gross invasion of privacy” for workers, and claimed McDonald’s had been telling staff it was mandated by the government.

“Workers were not consulted about the policy or given any opportunity to voice concern,” Mr Cullinan said.

Temperature checking is not an adequate way to test for coronavirus, and the Australian Government urges people with concerns about their health to seek medical attention.

While some people with coronavirus may experience a fever, other people with the virus may experience other symptoms, including acute respiratory symptoms like a runny nose or dry cough.

Other people who contract coronavirus may be asymptomatic, and may not record a fever, or any other symptoms.