MANILA - Jollibee Foods Corp said Monday employees of its group of restaurants would be vaccinated against COVID-19 for free.

The inoculation program includes employees from Jollibee, Chowking, Mang Inasal, Greenwich, Burger King, Red Ribbon, Panda Express, PHO24, commissaries, distribution centers, support functions and the Jollibee Group Foundation, it said in a statement.

“Our employees’ safety and well-being has always been paramount,” said Jollibee Group chairman and founder Tony Tan Caktiong.

The Jollibee Group, one of Asia's fastest growing company, said it is also sourcing for more vaccines to cover dependents and extended family and household members.

The operator of its rival McDonald's Philippines, Golden Arches earlier said it would purchase some 100,000 AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines for its company-owned employees and for donations to the government.

Jollibee and its chain of restaurants were not spared from the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns.

In March last year, it was forced to temporarily close several stores and sell ready-to-cook food items to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 to operations.

Jollibee Group operates in 33 countries with over 5,800 stores globally.

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