Mobility company Ola said it will cover the Covid-19 vaccination cost for all employees and dependents, as the world continues its fight against the pandemic. This makes SoftBank-backed Ola among the first global mobility companies to announce a Covid vaccination drive.
The vaccination drive will also be extended to all the direct contractual employees, consultants, advisors of the company and their immediate dependents including spouse, kids and parents, comprising more than 24,000 people.
“At Ola, we prioritize the health and well-being of not only our employees and their loved ones but also our extended family who work directly with us including advisors and consultants,†said Varun Dubey, Ola spokesperson.
“While this vaccine is voluntary, it is also one of the most effective tools to fight against Covid-19. As the Government gears up for the next phase of the vaccination drive, we encourage all our employees and their families to opt for the vaccine and fight against Covid-19.”
Ola’s rival Uber recently offered free rides worth Rs 10 crore that can be utilised by Covid-19 vaccine beneficiaries to reach their nearest vaccination centre.
The Covid vaccination drive will be over and above Ola’s existing medical insurance policy. The company is partnering with relevant authorities to conduct the vaccination drive. The vaccination will be offered on a voluntary basis. Ola will provide requisite infrastructure and logistics for the vaccination with the drive being conducted across all the geographies it operates globally.
Ola will start extending end-to-end support to those applicable starting with the ones above the age of 60 and those over 45 with co-morbidities. It will expand this process to include the rest as soon as the government rolls out the next phase of the vaccination drive.
Ola said it has played an integral role in Covid protection in the workforce. It had set up a Covid Action Task Force last year to undertake multiple precautionary measures to ensure the safety and well-being of all employees. It has installed technologies such as thermal sensing camera, AI-based face mask identification, smartphone-based entry and exit system. The firm has also been actively conducting smart sample testing on a regular basis to curb the potential spread of the virus.
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor