MCMANIA
McDonald’s addicts queue for up to THREE HOURS after drive-through reopens in France sparking massive traffic jams
MCDONALD'S addicts queued for up to three hours sparking massive traffic jams as a handful of restaurant chains reopen for drive-through meals in France.
Chaotic scenes show cars sitting bumper-to-bumper in long lines that stretch for hundreds of metres as eager burger-lovers flock back to the popular eatery on Monday evening.
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Thirty of the 1,490 McDonald's across France have reopened since closing due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Drive-through and home deliveries reopened in a handful of stores in the Île-de-France region in north-central France on Monday.
Traffic jams were seen in Moissy-Cramayel, Lieusaint-Moissy and Saint-Gratien in Val-d'Oise, all southeast of Paris, where cars followed one another for hundreds of metres.
The lifting of some restrictions in France came as much of Europe prepared to relax lockdown measures, including:
- Ibiza and nearby islands could open for holidays this summer - but not for Brits
- But the World Health Organization warned against relaxing lockdowns
- Meanwhile in Sweden parks and bars remain open despite a surge in deaths
Josua, 24, who lives in nearby Seine-et-Marne, said: "I had to take another route to get home because there were so many people".
News of the reopening spread quickly among residents of Moissy and surrounding towns.
"People have posted messages and videos on Snapchat," says Josua, who went to the fast food giant for "a box of nuggets."
"I was thinking of stopping there after returning from the races, but there were already so many cars... It was not possible," he said.
400 METRE QUEUES
Sébastien, another local, said the lines were "impressive".
He recalled: “I went shopping around 5pm and the line was already starting to look like a snail. It must have lasted until 10pm.
"Friends waited up to three hours to get their McDonald's!"
Footage of the hours-long queues have since circulated on social media.
In one video, one frustrated driver can be heard saying: "All that to eat at McDonald's!"
Another horrified onlooker says: "After seeing this, I no longer have any hope for humanity."
One satisfied customer uploaded a photo of their meal with the caption: "First McDonald's after confinement."
One store, a McDonald's branch in Moissy-Cramayel, had to enforce a maximum order for eager customers.
A staff member told : “In this restaurant, we even had to establish a maximum amount for orders (60 euros) due to the influx of customers”.
McDonald's shut its doors in the UK on Monday, March 23, at 7pm.
The fast food company said all of its 1,350 stores in UK and Ireland would remain closed in a bid to prevent further spread of coronavirus.
McDonald's - which has around 135,000 employees on their books - had initially remained open when Boris Johnson introduced social distancing measures.
It stopped customers eating inside restaurants but still allowed takeaways, McDelivery orders and drive-through service.
However, in order to protect staff, the decision was eventually made to close fully.
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It is currently unknown when McDonald's will open its doors again, with coronavirus continuing to spread around UK and Ireland.
In its statement, McDonald's said: "We look forward to seeing you all again as soon as it is safe for us to reopen."
The burger chain is unlikely to open until the UK lockdown is over with restrictions on movement set to last until at least May 7.
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McDonald's mark boxes on the floor to help with self isolation during coronavirus crisis
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