Mcdonald’s drive-thru ‘made for virus’

The UK Environment Secretary has backed the reopening of drive-thru fast food restaurants, two days after Nicola Sturgeon criticised people who queued up to buy takeaway coffee.

Queues of up to 40 minutes built up at the drive-thru branch of Costa at Cameron Toll in Edinburgh, prompting the First Minister to say: “You should ask yourself if going for a drive-thru coffee is really an essential journey.”

But in the latest sign of the differing approaches being taken to lockdown in London and Edinburgh, UK minister George Eustice said drive-thru takeaways could reopen safely.

Chains like Pret a Manger and KFC have reopened some shops for takeaway and drive-thru, while Mcdonald’s announced this week that it will run a trial at a small number of drive-thru venues.

“Our view is that probably a Mcdonald’s drive through is made for the social distancing situation that we are in, in that people do not leave their car, they place their order, somebody passes a bag of food to them, and at the end somebody passes a bag of food to them through a kiosk,” Mr Eustice said.

“So I think it is quite possible for these venues to reopen and reopen safely.”