Coronavirus: Malaysia’s food delivery workers help nation stay connected amid lockdown
- In a country where eating, cooking and sharing food is a national pastime, delivery services provide a way to bond socially while in physical isolation
- The drivers are applauded for their efforts, but as gig workers they lack a social safety net to fall back on and complain of poor working conditions
Those working for the likes of Lalamove, GoGet, Foodpanda and Grab remain busy, ferrying meals from restaurants to consumers or even between households as Malaysians struggle to remain socially connected but physically distanced in a country where eating, cooking, and sharing food is a national pastime.
Under the government’s restricted movement order, which mandates that people stay at home unless travelling to buy food, access health care or in an emergency, delivery people are classified as key workers and are allowed to move around as usual.
For GoGet driver Mark, who did not want to give his full name, the lockdown has resulted in a flurry of activity.
“There’s a spike in deliveries because everyone is getting food to the table. There have been lots of jobs, I haven’t been able to eat lunch some days as there are nonstop deliveries, sometimes from 8am til 6pm,” he said.
“I stay a metre away from the food and wait there til the person collects it. I’m supposed to wear a mask but it’s too hard to find. I am scared of course, but I take safety precautions and when I go home I shower straightaway and then sanitise everything,” he said.