As the Novel Coronavirus has led to a huge shortage of basic medical supplies, major companies are now taking initiatives to fill the gaps. Uber has been taking a lot of measures since the outbreak of COVID-19. Earlier we saw that the company halted its cab service in major cities and partnered with Flipkart to deliver essentials. Now, the cab-booking company is preparing to deliver millions of face mask to its drivers and food delivery executive.
In a recent blog post, Vice President, Gus Fuldner said that the company, to help people stay safe amidst the pandemic, is planning to deliver at least 500,000 face masks for its active drivers in cities that have been hit the hardest.
The ride-hailing company’s initial mask orders have gone to a Chinese electronic manufacturer that started making protective face masks like many other manufacturers. However, according to an Uber spokesperson, the company will be sourcing more masks from other manufacturers all around the globe. The company has committed to the cause not just for a brief period, but for a longer-term.
As per the blog post, the company has already sent the first shipment of the face-masks to drivers in New York City, the current epicentre of the pandemic. After receiving the next shipment of almost 500,000 masks, the company will start shipping to other US states that have been struggling hard.
“On Tuesday, we shipped our first order of masks to drivers in New York City, and we are receiving a shipment of nearly half a million more which we will immediately send to drivers in the hardest-hit US cities.”, read the post.
The company has ordered “tens of millions more masks” and will be delivering them to other global cities. Now, as the supplies are inadequate, the global delivery will take longer than usual. However, we can expect to see the shipments get delivered in the coming weeks.