Uber says it has paid out $3 million to drivers and delivery workers in the US through its coronavirus sick pay program

Reuters

• Uber has paid $3 million in coronavirus sick pay to US drivers and delivery workers, a spokeswoman told Business Insider.
• But drivers have found it nearly impossible to qualify for financial assistance from the company and have said it's enforcing the policy inconsistently.
• Even drivers who met Uber's criteria were only paid after Business Insider reported their stories.
• The spokeswoman said Uber acknowledges it made mistakes rolling out the policy, but that it is reviewing cases that may have been incorrectly decided and that it continues to support drivers.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Uber has paid out $3 million to drivers and delivery workers in the US under its coronavirus sick pay policy, a spokeswoman told Business Insider.

"As this pandemic continues to evolve, our policy will continue to evolve, too, so we can help support as many of those who are driving and delivering food as possible," the spokeswoman said.

The dollar amount, which the company hadn't publicly announced before, came in response to questions posed to Uber by Business Insider about how many drivers it had paid under the policy and how much it had paid them.

Last week, Business Insider reported that, despite Uber's promise of financial assistance to drivers forced off the road by the coronavirus, even some who met its strict eligibility criteria had been unable to get the company to pay them.

After Business Insider published the report, Uber paid the drivers and the spokeswoman said the company is re-reviewing cases it previously denied and will reverse those that were incorrectly decided.

However, Uber's current policy doesn't cover older drivers or those with preexisting health conditions that make them more at risk of developing serious infections from COVID-19, or drivers who may have been exposed to the disease but can't get a test to confirm their diagnosis.

Dozens of drivers told Business Insider that Uber has deactivated their accounts while refusing to offer compensation, leaving them in a financial bind. Others said the company's coronavirus sick pay policy is pushing them to continue working even if they're sick.

The spokeswoman said Uber acknowledges it made mistakes in rolling out the policy, that it's taking steps to address feedback from drivers, and that the company is reviewing cases that may have been incorrectly decided, but confirmed the eligibility criteria have not changed.

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