Riders, Drivers With Coronavirus Sidelined By Uber

Uber is making a move to sideline drivers and riders who are infected with the coronavirus or have been exposed to it, CNN reported on Wednesday (March 11).

“We have a team available 24/7 to support public health authorities in their response to the epidemic. Working with them, we may temporarily suspend the accounts of riders or drivers confirmed to have contracted or been exposed to COVID-19,” the company said in a statement. “We’re also consulting with an epidemiologist to make sure our efforts as a company are grounded in medical advice.”

Uber said on Saturday (March 7) that it would compensate diagnosed rideshare and delivery drivers and people forced to quarantine. The company said financial assistance will be offered for two weeks.

The ridesharing giant has already compensated drivers in some locations and is “working to quickly implement this worldwide.”

The company has also armed drivers with disinfectants and said that Uber Eats deliveries can be left for customers at the door.

Andrew MacDonald, Uber’s senior vice president of rides and platform, said the company is looking into a worldwide paid sick leave policy for its drivers worldwide. Drivers are eligible as soon as they provide Uber with documentation of being diagnosed or asked to quarantine or self isolate at the direction of a public health organization.

“We are supporting drivers and delivery people who are diagnosed with COVID-19 (coronavirus) or placed in quarantine by a public health authority,” MacDonald said, in a statement on Uber’s paid sick leave policy. “We believe this is the right thing to do.”

The uncertainty in the markets is causing merchants worldwide to rethink their strategies for reaching consumers. Some have created connections as ripples run through the global economic ecosystem.

As marketing and advertising budgets are shrinking drastically, those funds are being repurposed toward building community, toward crisis mitigation and, on the whole, toward keeping the consumer relationship alive and vital — even when consumers aren’t going to the stores.