Foodora couriers now being asked to do pharmacy runs — and they still have to buy their own masks and gloves

Food courier Matthew Lyn has spent the past few weeks adapting to working amidst a pandemic - figuring out how to get hungry Torontonians meals without putting himself or customers at risk.

For most gig workers, it's uncharted territory - in Lyn's case, never more so than earlier this week, when he logged on with delivery app Foodora and was directed to an unusual pickup point: the pharmacy.

"Nasal inhaler, nasal spray, throat spray, Buckley's lozenges, Advil " it seemed to me like somebody was sick," he says, noting the order details.

For Lyn, it was a significant change: he'd gone from delivering "not just to people who are self isolating," but to "people who are actually symptomatic, who have flu-like symptoms." And he'd be doing so without a mask or gloves, which Foodora - and many other apps - are not providing couriers.

"We're not medical personnel," said Lyn. "I just think it's a bit like I think it's a bit bold for a company like Foodora to talk about how we should be providing our own equipment."

In a statement to the Star, Foodora spokesperson Sadie Weinstein said the app had "expanded its platform" in November to include a "shops" feature that includes delivery from pharmacies for over-the-counter medication.

"We take the health and safety of our restaurant partners, riders, customers and employees very seriously," she said.

"Right away, we advised all riders of Health Canada's guidelines and how they can apply them in their work, including frequent handwashing, disinfecting their vehicle and delivery bag, and self-isolating at the first sign of symptoms."

Weinstein said the company had been in discussions with global suppliers about personal protective equipment options.

"At this time, we unfortunately don't have the supply or infrastructure to quickly and safely procure and distribute materials to riders across Canada," she said.

Lyn says he had picked up some grocery orders for Foodora in recent weeks, but never medication. "They never communicated that. They never asked our permission. Especially without protective gear," he said.

While Foodora couriers can decline orders with no penalty, their access to shifts is determined in part by how active they are on the app. And declining orders means losing out on income.

Foodora, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, is now offering contactless delivery as an "option" for customers. But Lyn said a minority still want deliveries right to their door, adding "some people are not tipping at all."

Concerns over safety and unpredictable wages have long been a flashpoint between Foodora couriers and the app company, fuelling a unionization drive with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers that is now before Ontario's labour board.

Now, confronted with a pandemic, couriers are "coming in and out of buildings and coming up with their own safety precautions," said Liisa Schofield, an organizer with CUPW.

Courier Umar Asghar said he worries for his own safety - and that of his family.

"We are putting ourselves into danger and then we are returning home," he said. "I do use my hand sanitizer, but I still think, I am touching my baby."

Foodora has restricted the number of weekly work hours available to 30 per courier, in an effort to ensure "equal access" to shifts during the pandemic. Asghar, the sole wage-earner for his family at the moment, says he's making around $200 a week.

That financial uncertainty is combined with fears over whether new relief programs for gig workers impacted by the virus will be accessible and sufficient. One Foodora courier, who spoke to the Star on condition of anonymity, made regular deliveries at the start of the COVID-19 crisis.

"I was trying to take precautions, like when I was grabbing door handles, I was trying to remember to use my jacket," he said.

"I came home (one) night and I said, I can't do this anymore. It doesn't feel safe."

Three days later, he got sick - developing a fever, cough, and headaches.

According to medical documentation he provided to the Star, he went to a COVID-19 testing centre and was identified as having mild symptoms. But because he had not travelled outside of Canada, he did not qualify for testing. He was advised to self-isolate for at least seven days, until symptom free.

Foodora has established an emergency fund for couriers who are diagnosed with COVID-19 or are "individually ordered to self-quarantine by a licensed medical provider or public health authority." Those couriers will receive two weeks pay, calculated based on their average earnings over the past month.

Foodora told the Star it has not received any applications yet.

The sick courier interviewed by the Star said he initially applied for the fund - but then withdrew it because he was worried it would disqualify him from applying for the new Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) now available to gig workers.

But he has questions about the new benefit: will workers be eligible if they still take the occasional gig? What if they are able to work, but feel unsafe?

Those issues are now being raised by CUPW vice-president Jean-Phillippe Grenier in a letter expected to be sent Thursday to federal finance minister Bill Morneau.

The letter seen by the Star says CERB "fails to take into consideration the realities of many workers, particularly gig-economy workers."

Of particular concern, the letter says, is "the requirement that a worker not receive compensation for 14 consecutive days to be eligible for the benefit."

"If a worker's schedule has been reduced to one shift every 13 days as a result of COVID-19, they would be ineligible to receive the CERB," the letter notes.

"For those couriers with little in the way of work opportunities, they struggle to cobble together enough work to live, those one or two shifts with Foodora are integral to their survival."

"These workers already lack basic protections, and almost never have access to benefits like paid sick leave," the letter adds.

"Their vulnerable status forces them to work, even if doing so poses a health risk to them or the public. This is unacceptable."

In response to questions from the Star, a spokesperson for Employment and Social Development Canada said the government would be announcing more details about CERB "in the coming days.

"We are working urgently to develop and implement the various new measures during these extraordinary and rapidly changing times," the spokesperson said.

For now, Lyn wants to see Foodora take responsibility for couriers' safety. He decided to deliver the medication orders he received because they were destined for houses, where he could leave the items on doorsteps, rather than entering a condo building.

But he decided to tell management about his concerns, noting that couriers are "at the front line to make sure people who are in self isolation and quarantine are able to eat."

"Therefore you should be providing us with the protective gear necessary. So that we can continue doing our jobs until this pandemic is over," he said.

Sara Mojtehedzadeh is a Toronto-based reporter covering labour issues. Follow her on Twitter: @saramojtehedz