Dubai: talabat, the region’s leading food and grocery delivery platform, has today announced that over 3300 riders across the UAE already received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, including approximately 1700 in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, and over 1600 in Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates
As part of talabat’s ongoing commitment to safety during the pandemic, the organisation started the rollout of its voluntary rider vaccination program across the UAE in 2020 in close collaboration with UAE government entities in support of efforts to eliminate COVID-19 in the UAE.
The first phase of the project was launched in December in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain in close collaboration with the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi and SEHA, which provided over 1700 free vaccines, while the second phase took place in January 2021 in Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Prevention, where over 1600 riders have been vaccinated so far.
Commenting on the vaccination program, Jérémy Doutté, Vice President UAE at talabat said: “Throughout the pandemic, the safety of our ecosystem has been our number one priority, and it continues to be today. “Our riders are part of our talabat family, we want to do all that we can to keep them safe. Their commitment to us and the broader community throughout the pandemic has been truly heartwarming, knowing they were on the road, delivering meals and groceries to customers’ doorsteps. Not only that, they played a key role in the community, by delivering meals to people in need as well as medication to chronically ill patients across the emirates in remote areas.”
“Vaccination is the safest and most effective way to protect ourselves from COVID-19. Our riders are choosing to vaccinate to boost their immunity, helping to protect them while on duty.” “I would also like to show our deep appreciation to both Department of Health - Abu Dhabi and SEHA for facilitating the first phase of free rider vaccinations, and also the Ministry of Health and Prevention for their support in the second phase.”
Throughout the pandemic, talabat has been first in the industry to roll out industry-leading safety measures to keep riders, customers and partner restaurants safe and protected, including providing Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for all riders, as well as offering customers the option of Contactless Delivery and cashless tipping. During the National Sterilisation Drive and Ramadan, talabat riders helped to support communities across the UAE in these difficult times by delivering 90,000 meals and 4000 medicine packages from Dubai to all other emirates free of charge to people in need across the country.
