Uber and Uber Eats are to provide up to NT$15 million (US$504,507) to drivers and couriers who test positive for COVID-19, as the number of confirmed cases has spiked since the government shifted to a policy of living with the disease, Uber Taiwan said yesterday.
The goal is to provide assistance to affected partners in Uber and Uber Eats who choose to serve consumers during this tough time, the company said.
“The safety of our partners, including taxi drivers in our partners’ fleets and delivery partners, is our top priority throughout the pandemic crisis in Taiwan,” Uber Taiwan general manager Raymond Li (楊思祥) said.
Photo courtesy of Uber
“The financial assistance initiative aims to show our support for the government’s policy to move toward a normal life against the COVID-19 headwind,” he added. “We are ready to move people, food and groceries for consumers in Taiwan to help them cope with uncertainties during the transition.”
Drivers at Uber partner taxi fleets and Uber Eats couriers who test positive and are required to quarantine this month and next month can apply for one-time financial assistance, the company said.
Active drivers who have completed at least one trip in the past 30 days would be eligible to apply once for a NT$5,000 subsidy if they present results of a polymerase chain reaction test or a COVID-19 rapid test, or a government-issued certificate that confirms that they contracted the virus, it said.
Uber Eats couriers who have completed 100 trips in the past 30 days could apply once for a NT$3,000 subsidy if they show a COVID-19 positive certificate and a full vaccination record, starting from 12pm today, it said.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
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