Uber Technologies Inc. today sent a letter to governors in all 50 U.S. states asking for early access to the COVID-19 vaccine for its food delivery and ride-hailing drivers.

“Over the last nine months, these workers have been a lifeline to their communities,” Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi wrote in the letter. “They have transported healthcare workers to hospitals, delivered food to people socially distancing at home, and helped local restaurants stay in business.”

Right now, each state will make its own decision as to who gets the vaccine first. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that the first people to receive the vaccine should be healthcare workers and residents of care facilities, with other essential workers such as those employed in transportation to get the vaccine in the second phase.

Uber sent a similar letter to the CDC last week, which stated that ride-hailing workers were “critical” during the pandemic for hospital workers and caregivers. “They also move people who need to carry out essential activities to take care of their families and communities, especially as major cities have reduced service hours for mass transit,” the company said.

The company added that the same should apply to food delivery drivers who were taking groceries and meals to people were either sick from COVID or staying at home to slow the spread of the virus. Uber said such a service also provides “an economic lifeline” for restaurants and small businesses. The company cited a recent survey in which three out of four restaurants said they would have had to close down if it weren’t for food delivery services.

Meanwhile, Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg today told employees in a meeting that staff won’t be asked to get the vaccine before they return to the office.

“Our U.S. offices remain closed and we don’t expect them to open before the COVID-19 vaccines are widely available,” a Facebook spokesperson told The Daily Beast. “At today’s company Q&A, Mark said that at this point, we don’t think it will be necessary to require a vaccine for employees to return to work.” The spokesperson said Zuckerberg has faith in the vaccine and will be getting a shot himself, adding that when employees do head back to the office there will be safety protocols in place.

Photo: Dr. Partha Sarathi Sahana/Flickr