Novel coronavirus has been declared a global health emergency by WHO. People are canceling international trips and are avoiding public areas. Schools have been shut in several areas and some companies have asked their employees to work from home. But the question is, what will those employees do who cannot work from home! Delivery agents, cabbies etc make a huge workforce in successful startups. When the other staff is working from home, these people still have to go out and meet dozens of people to get the work done.
Do you wonder what the companies are doing for them?
Flipkart has asked its employees to take mandatory work from home. But for employees who can’t take work from home like the delivery agents have been supplied with sanitizers as they interact with multiple customers. And those employees who feel unwell have been asked to take leave from work.
Food delivery apps like Zomato and Swiggy are also taking precautionary steps. “Should a delivery partner notice any associated symptoms, they’ve been asked to immediately reach out to us (Swiggy) and consult a medical professional,” Swiggy said in a statement. It is also training its delivery partners regarding respiratory hygiene, proper method and frequency of washing hands and identification of associated symptoms. It has also advised the eateries to practice hygiene while preparing food and packaging the same.
Online cab booking app Ola has kept sanitizers and masks at its walk-in centres around the country. It has also issued a detailed health advisory with its driver-partners. The company said in a statement, “We encourage everyone to proactively report any instance that may be symptomatic for us to help action and guide appropriately.”
Two of the confirmed cases in India include cab drivers who picked up infected people from the airport.