McDonald's shuts down Toronto restaurant after employee tests positive for COVID-19

A busy McDonald's restaurant in Toronto is the latest local workplace to close down, unexpectedly yet temporarily, on account of COVID-19.

McDonald's Canada announced Wednesday evening that an employee from its location at 2 Ingram Drive, just off Keele Street between Lawrence and Eglinton Avenues in North York, had tested positive for the 2019 novel coronavirus.

Upon learning of the diagnosis on April 29, McDonald's Canada decided to shut down the restaurant "out of an abundance of caution" for a thorough cleaning performed by third-party sanitization experts.

The employee in question is said to have worked on April 28 from 6:05 a.m. until 2:15 p.m. Staffers who worked with the infected employee have been asked to self-quarantine and anyone who may have visited the McDonald's during this time is asked to take direction from Ontario Public Health.

It is of note, given the recent incident in which a McDonald's employee faked the deadly coronavirus to get out of a shift, that local public health authorities confirmed the 2 Ingram Drive crew member's diagnosis.

"The restaurant will reopen once direction has been given by local health authorities," says McDonald's spokesperson Ryma Boussoufa of the North York location.

"We continue to work with local health authorities to support our people and our guests and look forward to getting back to serving our community as soon as we can."