Ride-hailing and food delivery firm Grab announced yesterday that it will offer income support to GrabFood delivery riders who are affected by the novel coronavirus. If they are unable to work due to being quarantined or hospitalized due to the virus, they will receive a one-time allowance of up to $200. The new support scheme follows the company’s earlier announcement that it would waive vehicle rental for affected Grab drivers as well as provide a one-time allowance of up to $500.

Grab Singapore Country Head Yee Wee Tang said that the company was also looking into providing similar support packages to drivers and delivery riders who have been placed under compulsory leave of absence due to having a recent travel history to China. They do not currently qualify for the one-time benefits.

Grab’s latest income support measures will run alongside the government’s quarantine order allowance scheme, which provides self-employed individuals who have been placed under quarantine with an allowance of up to $100 per day.

Delivery riders who are not affected, meanwhile, may not see a significant drop in their income. The food delivery business has not so far been impacted by the coronavirus situation, although the ride-hailing segment has seen a downturn. However, this may change in coming weeks: in China, consumers are shunning food delivery services, fearing that the delivery riders or even the food itself may carry the virus.

Yee said that Grab will try to mitigate customer fears and reduce driver exposure where possible. “We will also be pushing out alerts to our customers to remind them to do their part by putting on masks if they have a cough or runny nose, and for them to let you know in advance if they would prefer for you to leave their food orders at their doorstep or building’s reception area, in order to limit exposure,” he said.

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