Uber, delivery services to compensate drivers who catch virus

[NEW YORK] 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 organisations, 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."

AFP