Countries around the globe are going through a major crisis because of the coronavirus outbreak and almost all the governments have urged people to self-isolate and stay indoors to tackle the virus. Businesses and workplaces have resorted to work from home, recreational activities have been called off, borders are closed with no inbound or outbound flights and major stores are only required to open till a certain time of the day.  In all these proposed solutions and steps, medical professionals, policemen and the army are working day and night without any breaks to serve their respective countries, making sure all the people stay indoors and this situation can be tackled as soon as possible. 

However, that’s not all. Fast Food chains, restaurants and food-centric companies are also trying to play their part during this pandemic by taking some significant steps.

McDonald's Brazil pulled apart its iconic golden arches in a picture posted to its Facebook page in order to give people a message about social distancing. The ad agency explained that despite the temporary separation between its customers and the company caused by closures of some of its restaurants, they "can always be together." McDonald's continues to offer food through delivery and drive-thru.

Keeping up with a similar trend, McDonald's Pakistan is providing free breakfast to health care providers and medical professionals as a token of gratitude for their arduous work and efforts pulled throughout the start of the pandemic.  

On the other hand, Subway CEO, John Chidsey, released an official statement about taking precautions and taking guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) into consideration. He states:
"We have taken steps in our restaurants to help ensure a safe experience – from increased frequency of cleaning and sanitizing restaurants, to continued reinforcement of our existing health and food safety protocols with restaurant teams. We've also made the decision to temporarily suspend in-restaurant dining in restaurants and move to a takeout-only model. Most Subway restaurants are open for takeout and/or delivery. These measures are being put in place with your and Subway restaurant employees' safety and well-being in mind.”

Coca-Cola (KO) has also taken steps with its logo promoting social distancing, similar to McDonald’s. An ad recently went up in New York’s Time Square that showcases each letter in its initial logo separated from each other. The slogan succeeding this logo change states, “Staying apart is the best way to stay connected.”  

KFC Pakistan’s CEO and the team have also recently devised a statement, bringing their customers into confidence the sanitary measures and steps being taken to account for COVID-19. The statement read: 
“Over the last few days, our lives have been changed immeasurably, and so have all the things we hold dear – like having your favourite meal. Since we have that in common, we’re working hard at keeping our kitchens open, while taking all appropriate measures over and beyond our usual high standards...
...KFC has always followed the highest possible standards of cleanliness, and we’re taking it even higher now, through a series of measures, including:
- Regularly sanitising all counters, door handles and other surfaces
- Providing sanitisers for both team members and our guests
- Providing face masks to all our team members
- Checking temperatures of all our team members, including delivery riders
- Disinfecting and sanitising all delivery bags
At KFC, we’re all taking the situation seriously as we believe in doing things the right way – especially when it comes to the health and wellbeing of our people, our customers and the community.”
The fried chicken company continues to publish witty slogans to promote social distancing and bring the primary issue into light. Their very recent ad read, “Staying In Doesn’t Make You Chicken (But We Will!)”

People around the world continue to take precautions to tackle this situation in the best way possible. Restaurants have also taken a number of steps to bring awareness, continuing to provide their services and also appreciate those working tirelessly in the front end. If all these people can take steps, you can too! Stay indoors, practice social distancing and hope the situation subsides at the earliest!
 

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• Fatima Khanani

A person with an indescribable love for food and writing, here to share my infamous thoughts with you through these blogs.