ATLANTA, March 15, 2020 – Just like you, we’re tracking the news around coronavirus (COVID-19), and we’re doing what we can to ensure everyone in our Roadie community stays safe — whether we’re at home, at work, or on the road.
Delivery apps have become critically important for people all across the country at this moment – whether you’re getting groceries from across town or light bulbs from the home improvement store down the street.
Here at Roadie, we’re lucky to have the opportunity to make a positive impact. While we’re making every effort to respond to growing demand, our first priority is — as always — the health and safety of our community. Our team is working overtime to get drivers and customers the information and tools they need to keep themselves, and each other, safe. In addition to ramping up communications, we’ve made changes to our internal systems and operating procedures and are asking our business partners to do the same.
New Delivery Procedures for Zero Contact
Effective immediately, we’re asking senders and drivers to adopt a “no contact” procedure at both pickup and delivery.
- Choose Doorstep Delivery for all deliveries.
Our app makes it easy to communicate with your driver and coordinate your delivery, so there’s no need to meet your driver at the door By entering “Leave at doorstep” in your delivery instructions, senders are practicing social distancing and taking a critically important step to keep everyone in our community safe. - Use the “signature required” option only when necessary by law. Be aware that we’ve changed the signature confirmation process to keep drivers and recipients safe.
For deliveries which by law or other essential reasons require a recipient signature, we’re now allowing drivers to sign their own names once they confirm delivery is complete. This is a temporary measure to prevent phones from being passed back and forth. - We’re ensuring that drivers are healthy and safely making deliveries.
We’ve standardized the procedure for reporting potential exposure to COVID-19. Out of an abundance of caution and to allow drivers time to confirm that they’re healthy, we are temporarily locking those accounts for a minimum of 14 days. After the 14-day period has passed, we’ll need to verify that the driver is healthy and virus-free if they’d like to resume driving for Roadie.
And of course, we encourage all members of the Roadie community to visit the CDC’s website for more information regarding the latest personal safety recommendations.
Preparing items for delivery to help prevent the spread of COVID-19
We know that many of you are using delivery now more than ever, whether you’re ordering cleaning supplies online or sending homemade cookies to a friend. Whether you’re a sender or a recipient of a delivery, it’s important to clean items properly before and after they’ve been handled by a driver. To help protect you and your driver, we’ve put together some guidelines based on insights and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting
According to the CDC, it’s possible for someone to contract COVID-19 by touching a contaminated surface—including bags and boxes—and the virus may live on some surfaces for several hours or even days. That’s why it’s essential to clean and disinfect items before and after a delivery.
Here are some guidelines to follow when preparing an item before or after delivery:
- Wear disposable gear while you clean. Personal protective items like gloves, and face masks or cloth facial coverings can provide additional protection. Make sure to throw gloves out after each cleaning and then immediately wash your hands. If you do not have access to disposable face masks, the CDC has provided guidelines on making and cleaning masks at home.
- Wash your hands thoroughly before and after each cleaning. Use soap and water, and wash for at least 20 seconds. If that’s not possible, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Learn more about proper handwashing
- Clean, then disinfect. When it comes to preventing the spread of germs, it helps to understand the difference between cleaning and disinfecting. Cleaning is the act of removing germs, dirt, and impurities (like when you use a soapy sponge to wipe off visible dirt). Disinfecting is when you use chemicals to kill germs (like spraying with a bleach solution). By cleaning first, then disinfecting, you can lower the risk of infection.
Once the surface of your item is clean, spray it thoroughly with a disinfectant. Let it stand for a few minutes, then wipe—and if you’re not using paper towels or disposable wipes, it’s best to use a new cleaning cloth for each item.
- Avoid touching your face while cleaning. To prevent the spread of germs, the CDC recommends not touching your face, nose, and eyes with unwashed hands—so pay extra attention when cleaning.
- Use the right disinfectant. Most common household disinfectants registered by the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as cleaning solutions with diluted household bleach or at least 70% alcohol, are believed to be effective against the coronavirus.
- Dispose of or wash your cleaning supplies. If you’re using paper towels, disinfectant wipes, and other disposable cleaning supplies, throw them away after you’re done. If you’re using cleaning cloths and other reusable products, make sure to machine-wash them on high heat when possible. Remember to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds afterward.
We hope you find these cleaning guidelines useful as you continue using Roadie or other home delivery services during this difficult time. We’ll continue to update our recommendations as the situation evolves. In the meantime, please visit the CDC website for more information on COVID-19.
Stay safe out there, folks.
