In Chicago, five McDonald’s employees and their families filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s, alleging that the company did not provide adequate protection against coronavirus.

Employees of the Chicago region sued McDonald’s, the big fast-food chain that has published a 59-page hygiene guide in recent weeks, saying it has not been given masks, gloves and disinfectants to provide adequate protection against the virus. After employees at one of the branches reacted to this situation, they were told that they were only given one mask to use on each shift. Besides, employees said they did not take health measures and training to protect both themselves and customers. The lawsuit targets both franchisee-owned locations and company-owned restaurants, CNBC reported. In December, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that McDonald’s could not be held responsible for the labour practices of its franchisees. The lawsuit filed Tuesday argues that the company is not leaving the pandemic response up to individual franchisees but instead is coordinating a centralized response. n a statement, McDonald’s said, “Crew and managers are the heart and soul of the restaurants in which they work, and their safety and well-being is a top priority that guides our decision making.” The company also said personal protective equipment is in “ample supply,” and that more than 130 million masks have been distributed across its domestic system.