Uber wants drivers to get coronavirus vaccines early with other essential workers
Uber’s CEO sends letter to the country's governors for his 'frontline workers'
Uber wants its drivers to be among the earliest recipients of the coronavirus vaccine.
On Thursday, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi sent a letter to all 50 U.S. governors asking them to prioritize the company’s rideshare and delivery drivers when it comes to vaccine distribution.
“I’m asking governors in all 50 states + DC to prioritize drivers & delivery people for early vaccine access,” Khosrowshahi tweeted on Thursday. “These frontline workers should get the vaccine before people like me.”
According to a report from Reuters, Uber also sent the letter to President-elect Joe Biden.
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“Over the last nine months, these workers have been a lifeline to their communities,” Khosrowshahi wrote in the letter, per Reuters. “They have transported healthcare workers to hospitals, delivered food to people socially distancing at home, and helped local restaurants stay in business.”
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Because of this essential work, Khosrowshahi said the company’s drivers should be given the vaccine right after healthcare workers and long-term care facility residents, Reuters reported.
Uber did not immediately respond to FOX Business’s request for comment.
Uber is asking U.S. state governors to consider its drivers and delivery workers as essential, particularly when it comes to vaccine distribution. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Khosrowshahi’s letter to governors comes about a week after Uber asked the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to consider its drivers to be essential workers.
The letter to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices was signed by Uber's head of federal affairs, Danielle Burr, Reuters previously reported.
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"Early access to a vaccine would help drivers and delivery people continue to play their essential role while also reducing the risk that they may inadvertently contract, or possibly transmit, the virus," the letter reportedly said.
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