LONDON – Ben Gee carries the coronavirus all over London. A bicycle courier, Gee zips from the city's hospitals and clinics with medical samples of the virus, taking them to laboratories for processing.
Gee faces a two-fold fear: exposure to the coronavirus and whether he will have a job after the outbreak. The British government considers medical couriers to be essential workers during the pandemic, but Gee faces being laid off when it is over because the outbreak has hurt the other business of the diagnostics firm he works for.
Thousands of other “gig economy” workers, including ride-hailing service drivers and food couriers, also are torn between safety and sustenance.