KFC shuts thousands of restaurants in China and introduces ‘contactless’ deliveries as worker diagnosed with Coronavirus

A KFC employee who prepared food and served customers has reportedly been infected with the coronavirus and so the company that runs the franchises, Yum China, has closed all of its 9,200 outlets over virus fears.

A temporary system that uses ‘contactless’ food deliveries to avoid spreading disease has been introduced whilst the situation is being monitored by health officials.

Yum China also operates Pizza Hut and Taco Bell as well as KFC, the company, which operates in more than 1,300 cities in China, said its profits this year would be severely hit by the outbreak. To calm people’s fears, videos on the Chinese social media site, Weibo, showed delivery drivers having their temperature taken before donning Hazmat suits and face masks before disinfecting all food packaging and leaving the restaurant.

It is also understood that some meal deliveries also come with notes detailing the temperature readings of the workers who prepared and delivered the food.