Uber, delivery services to compensate drivers who catch virus

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NEW YORK, March 9, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Multiple rideshare and food delivery
companies are following in the footsteps of Uber, which announced it would
compensate its drivers who catch the new coronavirus.

Uber on Saturday announced that drivers who provided documentation that
shown they had been diagnosed with COVID-19 or quarantined by health
authorities would “receive compensation for a period of up to 14 days.”

“This has already begun in some markets, and we are working to implement
mechanisms to do this worldwide,” an Uber spokesman told AFP in a statement.

“We believe this is the right thing to do,” said Andrew Macdonald, the
senior vice president of rides and platform.

Other rideshare and delivery companies have indicated they intend to follow
suit — a shift for such organizations, which often ensure their drivers do
not qualify as full-time employees and thus cannot claim some social
protections.

Meal and food delivery services DoorDash and Instacart told AFP on Sunday
they were in discussions with other companies in their sector, such as Lyft
and Postmates, to take the global health crisis into account.

DoorDash said it was working “to protect the health and safety of our
community in response to the spread of COVID-19, including exploring options
with our peer companies to compensate” affected drivers.

It also highlighted a delivery instruction feature that lets drivers drop
food off at the door “with a photo of where the food should be left through
the app.”