Now that food delivery platforms have started delivering groceries, essential items and vegetables and fruits of Horticorp, those delivering essentials have their hands full with their timings from 7 am to 8 pm.

“My first order by 11 am is usually for vegetables from Horticorp outlet at Vijayanagar since I operate on that stretch. I started this work two weeks before the lockdown and it has been a smooth affair till now. At times the police stops me to ensure whether I am wearing a mask and to check the goods I am carrying,” says 32-year-old Mohan A working with a food-delivery app.

Since they are not allowed to enter apartments, either they leave the order with the security or customers come down to collect their orders. With several customers opting for zero-contact delivery, the staff place the item at the doorstep, click a photo and upload on the app. “Unless we upload the photo, the delivery is not considered complete and we can’t take our next order. Now we also take orders from one location to another, mainly medicines and grocery. Recently I delivered eggs from a customer to their aged parents staying in another house in and around Pattom. Besides food from hotels, he has been doing home delivery service for retail shops in the area.