Grab refutes public office claim of non-cooperation

 | Thu 13 May 2021 12:17 ICT

The Public Health Office Chiang Mai announced yesterday that after testing 80 food delivery drivers from Food Panda and Line Man, none were found to test positive for the virus.

However, following requests to test Grab Food drivers, the office has said that it didn’t test any as the company refused to cooperate.

Authorities are therefore reaching out to ask Grab Food drivers themselves to come for free tests at the 700 year convention centre field hospital, in spite of the company’s management’s refusal to work with authorities.

Grab’s Chiang Mai representative, however, came out earlier this week to say that the announcement by the public office was categorically incorrect and that they had offered all the cooperation asked, instead pointing to the lack of communication of the public health office itself.

According to Kraisit Singhayabut and Yanisa Srisilpnant, Grab Mini-GC Chiang Mai’s management, in a recent video statement, the public health office had asked Grab to use its office as a Covid testing centre and to prepare drivers to come in for the test which was supposed to happen last week.

Grab then said that it asked the public health office what it needed to prepare in terms of chairs and tables, but never received a response.

Days later authorities turned up and while Grab had allocated an area to be used as the test site, authorities insisted on using another area which was a working space for the company and unable to be converted into a testing site.

Grab then said that it told authorities that it would find another area which would be suitable for them and were told by authorities not to bother if they weren’t ready.

Grab said it was very disappointed with the announcement by the authorities and that they have and will continue to cooperate in any manner the authorities wish.

Grab went on to say that they maintained strict measures of health and safety for all drivers and insist that all drivers take the test as well as send photographs of themselves wearing masks at the beginning of every shift.