PETALING JAYA, March 26 — McDonald’s has reworked its iconic logo to promote social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The fast-food giant uploaded a photo on its Brazilian Instagram and Facebook accounts recently showing the renowned Golden Arches separated from each other.
McDonald’s Malaysia and McDonald’s India also followed suit with similar campaigns to encourage their customers to stay home and keep their distance from others during the virus outbreak.
However, McDonald's Brazil's stunt failed to resonate with American social media, and many took to Twitter to demand that McDonald’s give their workers paid sick leave.
One of their most notable critics was US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
.@McDonalds give your workers paid sick leave. https://t.co/2YmWpvCLY4
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) March 25, 2020
Nothing says McDonalds like refusing to give all of its employees paid sick leave and a livable wage while doing PR stunts to win solidarity points with middle and upper class Americans.💅🏾
— rich white woman🌹 (@OneTrueShaun) March 25, 2020
— Jack Hurley (@Hurleyj44) March 25, 2020
Other Twitter users accused the company of being tone-deaf and evading issues concerning the safety and welfare of their workers in the US.
McDonald’s Brazil quickly shelved the campaign following the backlash and removed the photos of the distanced Golden Arches from their Instagram page.
A leaked recording of a phone call between McDonald’s leadership and US president Donald Trump obtained by Business Insider showed that the company was pushing for changes to a coronavirus relief bill that would require US employers to provide 14 days of paid sick leave during the Covid-19 outbreak.
During the call, McDonald’s vice president of US communications David Tovar expressed concerns over how the bill would affect franchisees’ finances and said that the “funding mechanism and the repayment timing could cripple small-business owners.”
