Food delivery services continue amid Luzon quarantine due to COVID-19
MANILA, Philippines — Mobile-based food delivery companies GrabFood and Foodpanda will continue their services in light of the enhanced quarantine imposed in Luzon on Monday.
In a statement sent to Philstar.com, GrabFood said: "Upon careful assessment of the situation on ground and after discussing with our regulators, we have resumed GrabFood and GrabExpress operations as of 1:30 p.m. today, March 17, with skeletal delivery-fleet. The decision was made to support the food establishments that will continue to operate and maintain continuous flow of goods to serve the essential needs of Filipinos during these trying times.
"Delivery-partners are advised to prioritize safety and wear full GrabFood gear at all times. We will continue to exercise strict safety measures such as contactless delivery, temperature checks, increased cleaning frequency of delivery-bags, and more in cooperation with our merchant-partners."
In a separate statement sent to Philstar.com, Foodpanda said: "As clarified by the leadership of the Department of Trade and Industry, foodpanda is allowed to operate along with other food services platforms as providers of basic necessities. In light of this recent mandate, we would like to reassure you that foodpanda continues to operate as usual with free delivery on every order.
We value the safety of everyone in our community, and have introduced new measures to ensure you feel secure while using our service. Our rider hubs provide hand sanitizer and masks free of charge to all our riders, who are instructed to wash their hands every two hours and after each time they handle a delivery. We're in constant communication with our restaurant partners over the latest World Health Organization notices, advising them on the health and safety practices that go beyond our already high food hygiene expectations."
The company encourages customers to switch to online payment to "easily keep unnecessary human interactions to a minimum."
"Our commitment remains with supporting all our riders, restaurant partners and valued customers as we go through this tough time together as a nation. Rest assured we will keep you updated with any further developments," the statement read.
