Deliveroo hopes to help restaurants, as they are unable to receive customers due to the new coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, as much as possible by delivering their meals to homes, the delivery service said on Friday.
“Chefs can continue working and restaurant stocks can still be sold,” Deliveroo spokesperson Rodolphe Van Nuffel said. “It’s not much, given the impact of the measures, but we’ll help as much as possible," he added.
Belgium’s National Security Council decided on Thursday night to close restaurants and cafés to the public until 3 April. However, take-aways and home deliveries are allowed “We shall, therefore, be able to support some businesses in the sector,” Van Nuffel said.
Deliverers and restaurants have received clear instructions to make sure that food is handled in a safe and perfectly hygienic manner. Customers can also request no-contact delivery. “The deliverer opens their isothermal bag and goes back a few steps,” the Deliveroo spokesperson explained. “The customer then takes their order and goes back inside," he added.
For the moment, the company is unable to predict whether demand for delivery services will increase sharply. It has not yet called in extra delivery staff.
Carriers unable to work because of the coronavirus will receive a weekly stipend from a fund set up a few days ago.
The Brussels Times
