Delivery startups have 'non-contact delivery option' over coronavirus

It looks like coronavirus / COVID-19 is making waves in the delivery market (I'm surprised it took this long), with delivery startups like Postmates now offering customers a "non-contact delivery option" for those worried about contracting COVID-19.

It's not just Postmates though, with Instacart also implementing a similar non-contact strategy. The company saw a 10x increase in sales this week compared to the week before, as customers were concerned over coronavirus / COVID-19 so the company offered its customers a "leave it at my door option" instead.

Postmates explained the move to TechCrunch, with a spokesperson from the delivery startup saying: "Community health and safety is paramount at Postmates, and we have shared precautionary CDC guidance with our Postmates. Customers have an option to designate the drop-off of item without contact; and we'll continue to encourage employees, merchants and consumers to follow preventative measures. While we are operating with business as usual, we are tracking the situation closely and will help provide the resources necessary to mitigate increased risks".

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Instacart has a similar thought train here, with the company telling TechCrunch: "Our goal is to continue to work with and serve the entire Instacart community safely, while also ensuring our customers have access to uninterrupted delivery and pickup services for the groceries and household essentials they need".

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New York Governor Cuomo has established a 1-mile containment zone in New Rochelle over the spread of coronavirus / COVID-19 in New York, while Google has recently asked all staff based in Canada or the United States to work from home if they can. Apple has just canceled an event where it was due to unveil a successor to the iPhone SE, and a new iPad, too.

Delivery start ups including Postmates have now got a "non-contact delivery option" for those who are worried about contracting coronavirus, too.

We've seen some gigantic events being canceled or postponed over coronavirus / COVID-19 fears, with Mobile World Congress, the Game Developers Conference, Google I/O, Facebook's F8 developer conference -- and even chatter from Dick Pound, a member of the International Olympic Committee, with the IOC talking about outright canceling the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Google has also ended all of its in-person job interviews for now over coronavirus fears, instead shifting to a digital-only Hangouts meeting for future employees. Twitter is also "strongly encouraging" its employees to work from home if possible, while Amazon has halted its near 800,000 strong workforce from all non-essential travel over coronavirus / COVID-19 fears.

But don't worry, gamers... as AMD has confirmed that the next-gen Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 launches are "on track" for later this year and that coronavirus hasn't forced a delay for these launches (yet).

You can read more on our coverage of coronavirus here.