Pathao staff to get COVID-19 vaccine

Pathao, a ridesharing and digital service platform in Bangladesh, has taken an initiative to ensure access to COVID-19 vaccines for its about 1,000 staff members, in cooperation with 'EkShop' of a2i program.

Pathao's food and courier delivery agents were registered for vaccination on Wednesday at the company's headquarters.

Shah Ali Akbar Ashrafi, head of health information unit at the Directorate General of Health Services, at the programme said, “During the pandemic, Pathao and other leading e-commerce and logistics companies are delivering essential goods to the doorsteps of consumers. A2I has taken measures to vaccinate e-commerce workers with the COVID-19 vaccine to safeguard their health and safety. They can be vaccinated by registering through the Surokkha web portal. This initiative will make the e-commerce sector stronger, more robust and dynamic.”

Pathao president Fahim Ahmed said, "The latest spike in the COVID-19 cases serves as a reminder that our fight against the pandemic continues. At Pathao, we remain steadfast in our commitment to ensure the health and safety of our customers and service providers.”

Rezwanul Haque Jami, team leader of ekShop, said, “The services of e-commerce workers are critical during the time of the pandemic. It is important to keep them healthy. We are taking all possible precautions to ensure the well-being of e-commerce workers. In association with Bloodman, we are registering these workers.”

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pathao and other leading e-commerce service providers have been working to bring essential urgent products to the doorsteps of the consumers while adhering to proper healthcare guidelines, said a release.

The government has already designated e-commerce as an emergency service, and the health ministry has granted permission to 6,000 e-commerce workers for vaccine registration, to ensure the health and safety of these frontline workers, it added.

Pathao also lauded the government's decision to resume public transportation in all cities for from 6:00am to 6:00pm during the lockdown period.