Uber To Continue Mandating Masks Into July

Uber will be requiring drivers and riders to wear masks for the forseeable future, Reuters reported.

The rule, put in place May 18 to hopefully stem the spread of the coronavirus while still being able to open for business, was originally supposed to expire at the end of June, but that is no longer the case.

“Extending our ‘No Mask, No Ride’ policy is the right thing to do. We want to send a clear message to everyone using Uber that we all have a role to play to keep each other safe,” the company said in a statement, according to Reuters.

The requirement for drivers also includes a mandate for them to take a selfie to prove they’re wearing a mask before starting work, and the company said it was also looking for a way to implement this rule for riders, too. There were no updates on that as of Wednesday (July 1), but the company was reportedly still exploring it, Reuters said.

In a video to promote this policy depicting Uber drivers and food delivery workers, Uber says wearing a mask is the best way people can show support for the people who have been working essential jobs even during lockdown.

A spokesperson for the company said the new indefinite mask policy was intentional, as the company wanted to continue monitoring the spread of the virus, which has seen surges in the U.S. in recent weeks in multiple states.

According to Uber, there have been around 50 million rides completed with mask detections for drivers and delivery people since May 18, Reuters reported.

During the quarantine in March and April, Uber’s ridesharing business took a massive hit. But as the country began to open back up in late May, the ridership began to creep back up in numbers, with the rider numbers down only 70 percent year-over-year, as opposed to 80 percent during the height of quarantine.

Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi also said Uber Eats had continued doing well.