Temporary store closure not due to food safety — Jollibee Edmonton

Busy Jollibee outlet in Edmonton, Canada before temporary closure. CONTRIBUTED

RED DEER, Alberta – Signature Filipino fast food store Jollibee in Edmonton City has temporarily closed following orders by the provincial authority here in light of Covid-19 –related public health measures.

The order issued April 11 stated Alberta Health Services had completed an inspection and found deficiencies in the company’s compliance with previous public health orders to curb the spread of the novel corona virus.

“The business does not have proper risk mitigation measures in place to prevent the risk of transmission of infection to co-workers and to members of the public,” the order read.

The order also noted lack of proper physical distancing being implemented by the store, the fifth branch to open in Canada in August last year.

“Our Edmonton store is temporarily closed and we are working closely with Alberta Health Services to ensure we are compliant with all of the Province’s social distancing requirements for restaurant operations during the pandemic,” said Jollibee in a statement sent to INQUIRER.net.

The company was quick to clarify the closure was not due to food safety issues, as some news had reported.

“The health department has incorrectly listed violations on April 10 that were previously cited during a February 12 visit,” said a company representative in an interview.

Jollibee had faced sanctions in February involving food safety, storage and food-related processes. However, the violations found during the February 12 inspection were swiftly corrected and, hence, are not related to closure at present, the representative said.

“We are working with Alberta Health Services to not only present a plan of action to resolve the social distancing issue, but to have the inspection report dates corrected in their portal,” the representative added.

Meanwhile, the brand has launched its North America wide delivery via DoorDash on April 13. The offering allows customers to build their own meals contained in a tamper-evident seal to ensure the food is not touched. In Canada, the service is available through its stores in Manitoba, Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Call and pick-up, take-out and drive-thru services are still available throughout all Jollibee branches in Canada. These services including the newly-launched delivery service will be available at the Edmonton branch upon reopening.