COVID-19 Update: JPMorgan Chase Works To Bring Staffers Back Onsite; McDonald’s Aims To Open Dining Rooms Again Slowly

Businesses from banks to quick-service restaurants (QSRs) are taking steps to bring workers and diners back into their buildings. Here are the latest coronavirus reopening updates:

JPMorgan Chase is creating a plan to have staffers gradually return to onsite work, Reuters reported, citing an internal memo. Approximately 180,000 of the over 200,000 employees of JPMorgan Chase have been working remotely, with approximately one-quarter of its bank branches shuttered to keep staffers safe from the virus.

The operating committee of the bank wrote in the memo per the report, “Two considerations are paramount as we plan for this across the firm: We want to do it at the right time — which may differ by region, country and state — and in a manner that prioritizes your health and safety.”

The World Health Organization cautioned on Tuesday (April 21) that the removal of lockdowns has to happen incrementally. If not, populations will risk a rebound in the number of COVID-19 cases that the coronavirus brings about. JPMorgan, for its part, is the first large bank to make steps known to return to normal amid an increasing debate regarding the reopening of the American economy.

In other news, McDonald’s Corp. is not planning to rush the reopening of its U.S. dining rooms, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. Joe Erlinger, McDonald’s U.S. president, said the firm would take measures to make sure social distancing is followed at its restaurants. Almost all of them are providing drive-thru as well as some carryout service.

Erlinger said, according to the report, “We are going to move slowly and judiciously on this one.” The news comes as states such as Georgia have put plans into place to take away limitations on eateries as quickly as the week to come. Franchisees, for their part, have ownership of 95 percent of U.S. restaurants.

McDonald’s Corp. registered a drop in sales for Q1 as its stores shuttered and the firm relied on takeout and delivery orders amid coronavirus restrictions.