COVID-19:
NEWS....COVID-19:
UBER TELLS DRIVERS TO WEAR FACE MASKS AND TESTS SCREENS
Uber drivers and passengers in most countries will have to wear face masks as the firm toughens its coronavirus poli- cy. BBC News reported that the new rule took effect on Mon- day 14 May. It applies
to services in the US, Canada, Mexico, India and most of Europe, Latin Ameri- ca, the Middle East and Africa. But the UK is not on the list, following government guid- ance which advises but does not require
people to wear face coverings in con- fined spaces. Although it is not making it compulso- ry to wear a face mask in the UK, Uber said it had dis- tributed free pro- tective equipment to UK drivers, in-
cluding more than a million single-use face masks, as well as 95,000 cleaning sprays. Another two million masks have been earmarked for distribution. Uber is also paying the AA to install par- titions in 400 cars in Newcastle, Sunder- land and Durham as part of an initial pilot. Uber said its pilot in the North East of England was crucial for the com- pany to get a better understanding of how to carry pas- sengers on journeys as safely as possible. Uber is first trialling the partition screens in areas where it has been able to gain the permission of the regulator or city council, in order to ensure that the screens are installed safely. Jamie Heywood, regional general manager for North- ern and Eastern Europe at Uber, said: “As people start to think about moving again, we hope our pilot in the north- east of England will help bring about a greater understand- ing of how to get people from A to B as safely as possi- ble.” The BBC under- stands that a
An AA engineer installing a perspex screen in a taxi for Uber
number of taxi firms in the UK are seek- ing clarification from the government on health and safety precautions to take once the lockdown ends, and would prefer regulation rather than advice. “Two months into a public health emer- gency which has seen private hire drivers suffer one of the highest occupa- tional mortality rates, TfL and the DfT are still not tak- ing responsibility to introduce necessary safety
trols,” James Farrar, chair of the United Private Hire Drivers trade body, told the BBC. “Poor regulatory standards and emp- loyment misclassi- fication has become a lethal combination for desperately ex- ploited drivers.” The trade body is similarly concerned
con-
that Uber is not pro- viding partition screens to its drivers in other parts of the UK, such as London, which has the largest concentra- tion of Uber drivers in the country. Mr Farrar wants to see Uber commit to limiting bookings to no more than two passengers per vehicle, and to make the wearing of masks mandatory for both drivers and passengers. For now, there is no evidence available that demonstrates that partitions in taxis will reduce the risk of transmitting the coronavirus. But there is some evidence that the use of cloth face coverings can help to reduce transmis- sion of coronavirus infection where it is not possible for people to maintain a distance of 2m.
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JUNE 2020
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