Food delivery app Swiggy has promised to vaccinate its more than two lakh delivery partners against COVID-19. It also agreed to give compensation for any loss of pay on the days the delivery partners receive both vaccine doses.
Swiggy's announcement comes close on the heels of the central government's announcement on the next phase of the nationwide vaccination commencing April 1, 2021, for individuals aged 45 and above.
The Bengaluru-headquartered company said that in the first tranche of the programme, 5,500 of Swiggy's delivery partners, aged 45 and above will be eligible to opt for vaccination. And, by the end of the programme, the food-to-grocery delivery platform is planning to encourage 2,00,000 plus delivery partners to get vaccinated.
For delivery partners who choose to get vaccinated for free at a government facility, the cover for loss of pay will still be applicable.
Vivek Sunder, COO, Swiggy, said, "Over the past year, our delivery women and men have been a lifeline for the nation, delivering food and other essentials to millions of Indians during their time of need. As we continue to make all efforts to fight the pandemic, we are prioritising creating awareness across our fleet and extending our Covid cover to include access to vaccination for all delivery partners. We will also cover for the loss of pay when they take the time off to get vaccinated."
The restaurant aggregator is working with a healthcare partner to create awareness and communicate the necessary know-how and precautions by conducting workshops and counselling sessions for its delivery partners before the vaccination.
Swiggy, Dunzo, Zomato, Grofers and BigBasket, became leading players in delivering essentials to consumers during the lockdowns last year.
Swiggy added that said it had been providing loss of pay cover for partners recovering from COVID-19 infections and had also given out Rs 18 crore in earnings guarantees to delivery agents who could not come into work during the lockdowns.
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