With empty dining rooms, restaurants are investing in delivery, Meanwhile, apps are launching measures to reduce contact between suppliers, delivery drivers, and consumers.
Since cases have increased coronavirus In Brazil, experts recommended social isolation for as many people as possible.
Several companies have mandated work-from-home policies, and hundreds of events have been canceled across the country in an effort to contain gatherings and reduce the spread of the virus, which has already infected at least 904 Brazilians.
While the economy remains paralyzed, with projections of a significant contraction in 2020, one sector in particular has been (even more) boosted by the voluntary quarantine of these and the coming weeks: delivery apps.
Among those who are—or are preparing to be—isolated at home, apps of delivery Home-based meals and food have been an option to avoid trips to supermarkets and restaurants.
To HuffPost Brazil, the app of delivery Rappi reports that it has recorded a 30% increase in the number of orders in recent weeks, mainly from restaurants, supermarkets and pharmacies.
“"Since conversations about the coronavirus began, we have noticed a significant increase in the number of grocery orders — which we believe is a response from users concerned about the uncertain situation and quarantine measures being taken in different cities," reported Rappi's press office.
According to the company, searches have increased because people feel safer shopping through the app and avoiding contact with other people.
To ensure the safety of delivered food, Rappi has also updated several protocols for its partner delivery drivers. The first was to encourage payment via the app, to reduce contact at the time of delivery. The company also provided delivery drivers with 70% alcohol-based hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes.
Another, more drastic decision was the launch of the "contactless delivery" option, in which the consumer can ask the delivery person to leave the order at the door or entrance of the residence and move away 2 meters to avoid proximity or any contact with the motorcyclist.
This option has also been adopted by Uber Eats. In its guidelines for delivery drivers and new resources to combat COVID-19, the platform states that customers can specify how they want to receive their orders.
Users can send instructions to delivery drivers asking them to leave the order at the door.
iFood reports that it is also testing deliveries with less contact. The platform already offers the "contactless delivery" option, which can occur between consumers and delivery drivers, but also between delivery drivers and restaurant employees.
Furthermore, the company is reinforcing the recommendations of the Ministry of Health to its consumers, delivery drivers, and partner restaurants. Informative communications have been sent out, reinforcing best practices and preventive measures.
“"The company understands that it is still premature to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the food market." delivery Brazilian. iFood has the flexibility to quickly adjust its operations according to market needs and is in constant contact with the authorities, including on this issue,” said iFood's press office, adding that the service will continue to operate throughout these weeks of greater restrictions on activities and businesses across the country.
Is it safe to order delivery?
While the quarantine lasts, many Brazilians are wondering if food prepared in restaurants could transmit the new coronavirus.
According to the guidelines According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), there is currently "no evidence that food can be a source or route of transmission of the virus".
“Experiences with previous outbreaks of other coronaviruses, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, show that transmission through food consumption does not occur. At the moment, there is no evidence to suggest that the new coronavirus is different,” said EFSA Chief Scientist Marga Hugas.
O EFSA statement It also points out that, although the infection likely started from animals in China, the virus is transmitted from person to person through physical contact, saliva droplets, sneezing, and coughing.
In a statement sent to HuffPost, iFood reinforces international guidelines on the matter:
“"It's important to remember that, according to global authorities, there are no reports that COVID-19 can be transmitted through food."”
– IFOOD
In an interview with HuffPost, the president of the Food Safety Brazil association, Juliane Dias, states that, a priori, there is no risk of the virus being transmitted through food, but it is not possible to confirm this because "there is still not enough knowledge to be assertive.".
Dias, however, highlights some precautions that consumers should take beyond the risk of virus contamination. “Abrupt increases in demand for food prepared in kitchens that don't have the infrastructure to handle this volume of orders can lead to risks due to carelessness in routine food handling. Food left at room temperature for too long, thawing done outside the refrigerator, pressure from cooks to deliver large volumes, neglecting handwashing and the hygiene of surfaces and utensils… All of this can lead to other well-known diseases,” he explains.
“Ideally, consumers should know how food is prepared in these kitchens.”
– JULIANE DIAS, PRESIDENT OF THE FOOD SAFETY BRAZIL ASSOCIATION.
Assistance for delivery drivers
Not only targeting consumers, companies delivery They announced measures to protect and assist delivery drivers, who are certainly more exposed to contagion than consumers who are at home.
Uber has announced that drivers or delivery people diagnosed with COVID-19 or who are in quarantine will receive financial assistance for up to 14 days while their account is suspended. "We have already helped partner drivers in some affected areas and are rapidly implementing this measure worldwide," the company stated.
In the United States and Canada, the company suspended the delivery fee for independent restaurants—a measure that has not yet been replicated in Brazil.
iFood has created a solidarity fund worth R$1 million to support delivery drivers who need to quarantine. "The guidance for delivery drivers who suspect or have confirmed cases of COVID-19 is to follow all health recommendations issued by public authorities and, as soon as possible, notify iFood through the customer service channels," the company said in a statement.
Rappi, for its part, reports that it is following health authority protocols and says it analyzes the situation daily to implement new measures. “Our delivery partners are fundamental to Rappi. We have a fund and a plan under development to support them. We are also conducting a strong prevention campaign, which is crucial at this time to avoid contagion,” the company said in a statement to HuffPost. “We are working together with partner establishments and the government to meet people's needs.”
With restaurants empty, delivery is the solution.
With dining rooms empty, restaurants have already started investing in food delivery.
Torteria, a São Paulo-based pie restaurant, has noticed that in-person lunch orders are lower than usual this week and anticipates an increase in orders via delivery apps. delivery.
To that end, attention to hygiene has been redoubled. In addition to adopting complementary measures, such as providing hand sanitizer to customers dining in the restaurant, the establishment has reinforced the sanitization of utensils and service equipment before and after each use.
The kitchen staff, as well as the employees, also received new conduct guidelines, such as constant hand hygiene, as well as the sanitization of shared objects like electronic card machines and bill holders, and careful handling of banknotes.
Without in-person customers, the only way forward is to expand the offering online. delivery. The cake shop will offer promotions on cakes and combo meals, increase frozen food production, and hire more delivery drivers.
This is the path that many food companies have adopted since the government encouraged voluntary quarantine. Despite reinventing itself, the sector also foresees a crisis. Last Monday (16), the president of Abrasel, the Brazilian association of bars and restaurants, Paulo Solmucci Jr., spoke with members of the federal government and made demands for the sector.
“"The bar and restaurant sector will deserve special support, which will be studied, and we are very excited about this possibility," said the president of Abrasel.
Solmucci said that the bar and restaurant sector is being heavily affected by the crisis and estimated that the next three months will be even more difficult. He further stated that the closure of bars and restaurants as part of the fight against the coronavirus, already recommended in some Brazilian states, would represent "a collapse".
Source: https://www.huffpostbrasil.com/entry/delivery-comida-coronavirus_br_5e6fcd76c5b63c3b6482a20a
