Uber Forcing Face Masks Onto Drivers

The United Kingdom is seeing a resurgence of COVID-19 infections, creating significant concerns that a 2nd wave is rising. There are health authorities that claim the 1st wave hasn’t ended & that government personnel lifted restrictions considerably faster than recommended. Experts in the medical field are recommending corporations & civilians avoid the advice of government personnel, enforcing their respective physical distancing measures to guarantee safety.

This prompted Uber to announce that drivers & passengers will both be required to wear face masks starting on June 15th. This isn’t the exclusive industry that’s enforcing required PPE, with Public Transportation & Medical Facilities throughout the United Kingdom also implementing this rule. The United Kingdom Government permitted companies to enforce social distancing measures after medical reports indicated that face masks will limit COVID-19 by 40% in Great Britain, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland.

Uber Drivers in the United Kingdom have been informed that before contracts can be accepted, that employed personnel must photograph themselves wearing their face mask. Identical measures are enacted with passengers. Both parties can also photograph the other if face masks are removed after the photograph is taken. It’ll prompt the driver losing their employment with Uber, and passengers being banned from the application.

The Uber Company understands this requires their assistance on some level. They’ll distribute two million face masks to drivers in the United Kingdom, with an additional 54+ thousand hand sanitizer bottles. With Uber supplying their workforce directly in the UK, excuses for not using their provided equipment won’t be accepted. An immediate termination of their services will follow.

Act First

When questioned on their thought process behind this decision, an Uber General Manager named Jamie Heywood clarified that they’d informed their customers to remain indoor for social distancing. The GM would note that with cities in the United Kingdom reopening, their services will unavoidably be engaged. It’s better for Uber to act first & not regret that they didn’t move sooner towards assisting their workforce/passengers. It should be clarified that face masks provide minor protection to both parties after a certain period, with that typically being 15 to 60 minutes depending on the PPE selected.