Last updated 07/28/20
As the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to expand, the health and safety of the TaskRabbit community remain our highest priority. We are closely monitoring the rapidly changing situation. We will share updates to our service and policies here to ensure that clients are able to get the help they need and that Taskers have appropriate guidance and support to task — safely and effectively — during these challenging times.
What We’re Doing to Keep Our Community Safe
TaskRabbit is here to help the community, and we are committed to keeping our platform open to allow Taskers and clients to connect for services, in accordance with applicable guidance from government authorities.
Waiving Cancellation Fees Due to Illness
We will waive cancellation fees for all clients who cancel a task within 24 hours of the scheduled start time due to illness. To make a change to your tasks, visit the My Tasks section of the TaskRabbit website.
If you’re a Tasker who isn’t able to complete a scheduled task because of illness, there will be no impact to your business metrics. This includes declining a project if you believe that your client is ill or that completing the task would jeopardize your health.
Contactless Tasks
As restrictions are lifted across regions and cities, we ask the TaskRabbit community to remain mindful of all public health guidance and regulations in your area, especially since they may change from one day to the next. If your area allows in-person contact, please feel free to engage in these tasks. However, if a task can be done in a contactless or virtual way, we encourage clients and Taskers to work together to take these precautions.
A contactless task is one that maintains social distancing of at least 6 feet/2 meters from another person. For example, a client can request that a Tasker delivering food or medications leave them in a safe place at the door. Instructions for contactless tasks can be indicated in the booking details and/or via task chat.
Taskers: See here for additional guidance.
Virtual Tasks
Clients may also request that a task be done virtually via chat, in any category. For example, if a client would like to consult with a Tasker about data entry or assembling a piece of furniture, she/he could book a personal assistant or furniture assembly task, and a Tasker can consult with the client virtually.
Taskers: See here for additional guidance.
Free Volunteer Help through Tasks for Good
Tasks for Good connects vulnerable individuals and organizations in need with local volunteer Taskers who donate their time and skills to support their communities. To learn more about the program, including eligibility and availability in your city, visit here.
If you’re looking for a volunteer, visit this page to find a volunteer Tasker near you. If you’re looking to task as a volunteer through Tasks for Good, visit here to download and register through the Tasker app.
Service Modifications
General Marketplace Service Modifications
We are committed to keeping our platform open to provide services, while also keeping in accordance with all local, state and federal guidelines. We ask that all clients and Taskers stay abreast of COVID-19-related requirements in their area and refrain from submitting or accepting job requests that are in violation of applicable government requirements or guidance.
IKEA Assembly Service Modifications
In coordination with IKEA, we are pausing bookings of new assembly tasks until further notice in the service areas listed below.
- Wales & Scotland
In those service areas, any IKEA tasks booked prior to
- March, 18, 2020 in France
- March 24, 2020 in Wales & Scotland
will remain in the system. However, if you have any IKEA assembly projects currently scheduled, we recommend that you reschedule them for a later date, so they can be completed after the government has lifted restrictions.
Clients can make changes to bookings via My Tasks on TaskRabbit.com or the TaskRabbit app. As a client, you can still book many tasks in the General Marketplace in these locations, as long as you work with your Tasker to ensure compliance with the guidelines of local authorities.
IKEA Assembly in service areas not listed are currently still available. In those areas, we ask that clients and Taskers work together to follow local health guidelines.
Guidance for the TaskRabbit Community
Follow Local Regulations
Guidance from various government entities is changing rapidly as the situation evolves and knowledge about the virus increases. We ask that all users of the TaskRabbit platform stay aware of the recommendations from relevant authorities in your location and neither submit nor accept job requests that are in violation of local, state, provincial, or federal guidance. Taskers and clients who violate applicable orders or guidance may have their account suspended from the platform.
Taskers, if you receive any requests that violate applicable orders or guidance in your area, please do not accept the task and please inform Customer Support. And as a reminder, we have a longstanding policy around safety. If you arrive at a task and feel unsafe for any reason, please leave the task location immediately and contact Customer Support via live chat in the Support section of the Tasker app or by calling +1 (647) 697-3317.
What to Do If You’re Experiencing Symptoms
If you’re a client experiencing any symptoms of illness, including fever, cough, or shortness of breath, please cancel your task. You won’t be charged a cancellation fee, regardless of when you cancel.
If you’re a Tasker experiencing symptoms of illness, please cancel your tasks and take the time you need to fully recover before tasking. There will be no impact to your business metrics.
If you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or if you have reason to believe you have COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, please notify TaskRabbit promptly here or via live chat in the Support section of the Tasker app.
For Taskers: Best Practices When Tasking
Consistent with World Health Organization guidelines, social distancing (staying 6 feet / 2 meters away from others) is recommended at this time. Taskers should always communicate with Clients in the task chat to share that they are not experiencing COVID symptoms— and that the task will be “contactless” or performed virtually. We recommend that Taskers carry hand sanitizer in their tool kits. Taskers have shared with us that they sometimes wear face masks and disposable gloves for additional protection, and are avoiding using public transportation, opting to use their personal vehicles or bicycles instead. Some have also asked Clients to disinfect their doorbells or doorknobs before making deliveries. Taskers may wish to share in their Quick Pitches language and task chats the precautions you are taking in order to task safely.
For more detailed guidance and information on contactless and virtual tasks, click here.
Responsible Information Sharing
If a client or a Tasker tells us that they have been diagnosed with, or have some symptoms consistent with COVID-19, we may contact other users we believe they have been in contact with so those other users can take appropriate steps to safeguard their health and the health of those around them. Equally, if a client or a Tasker expresses a concern that another user may have COVID-19, we will contact that other user and update the client or Tasker who raised the question on the response we receive. We may temporarily pause the accounts of users who have been diagnosed with or exposed to COVID-19, consistent with public health quarantining guidelines. For more information on how we use personal information generally, and how you can exercise your rights over your personal information, please see here.
Country-Specific Updates
Canada
Please adhere to the Government of Canada’s guidelines, available here, as well as any state and local public health authority guidance and regulations in your area.
IKEA Stores are temporarily closed. IKEA E-commerce remains open.
How to Get Tested for COVID:
- Contact your care provider first to ask about testing. There may be special assessment centers set up in your area for COVID testing.
- Information and guidelines may vary depending on your province. Be sure to check your local guidelines.