Singapore’s Delivery Guys Tell Us How They Cope With the Coronavirus

Being a delivery guy on a normal day isn’t easy. It’s about making sure food gets delivered intact and on time, navigating obscure addresses, and rushing between locations.

During the coronavirus outbreak, when more people are staying at home and ordering in, the job becomes extra important. And especially risky.

While Singapore has been helmed as the poster child of coronavirus management, its battle with the deadly disease is far from over. As of April 3, there are 1,114 cases of COVID-19 in the city-state. This figure continues to rise.

Amidst the chaos of the latest pandemic, delivery guys are suddenly thrust into the roles of frontline workers against the contagion. These are the people who are spending entire days on the move so the rest of us can stay indoors.

VICE spoke to some delivery guys in Singapore to find out what has changed since the coronavirus started to spread, and how they’re coping with it.

“With the coronavirus, there are obviously more deliveries. People want to stay at home during this global pandemic. But it’s not like your usual fast food days, you know. People are going for more home cooked food, there is a spike in the number of orders. So that’s quite interesting. I think it’s good that the number of orders have increased, but we have to deal more with logistical issues, like coordinating the locations of deliveries.”

“One precaution that I’m taking is sanitising my hands when I work. I don’t think there is a need to worry, actually. I believe that if you worry too much, the coronavirus will come to you. So, I try not to worry and just live a carefree life, you know. One difficulty that I’m facing because of the coronavirus is the unexpected closure of entrances at some shopping malls and carparks. We have to look out for these things and change our usual routes.”

“Our job is actually easier now because of the contactless option for delivery. We don’t have to knock on the door and wait for the customer to answer, we can just leave the food at the door. This makes deliveries faster.”

“There are more people using contactless and cashless delivery options now. It’s more convenient for us, because we don’t have to wait for them to collect the food personally. I don’t really feel that customers appreciate us more. But that’s just my personal opinion. Customers feel like since they’re paying for our service, it’s something we should be doing.”

“We have a lot more orders now, and most of the customers are more appreciative of our service. For example, when we leave the food outside their doors, they show their appreciation by messaging us. If they receive the food directly from us, they will really appreciate that we deliver the food to them. We don’t know but they could be under quarantine. It makes us feel like we’re important. We’re considered frontliners right now. Our health is at stake. The important thing is to take precautions and maintain good hygiene.”

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