Ride-sharing companies Uber (NYSE: UBER) and Lyft (NASDAQ: LYFT), as well as delivery services DoorDash Inc., Postmates Inc., and others are considering helping workers with COVID-19. The companies are getting together to determine a plan to pay workers who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, or quarantined by a public health agency because of the coronavirus outbreak, according to reporting from The Wall Street Journal. Image source: Getty Images. Increased employee benefits These potential benefits come on the heels of California contractor law AB-5, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2020. The law seeks to reclassify independent contractors as employees, allowing them to receive more benefits. While there are exceptions to the California law, and nuances affecting how it can be enforced, the decision to help employees whose income is affected by the coronavirus outbreak is another push in the direction of improved benefits for these gig economy workers. The plan being considered is to create a fund specifically to alleviate lost income due to the current coronavirus-related activity. The companies are currently discussing the potential benefit plan, and more detail will be revealed this week, per The Wall Street Journal. Fox Business quotes Uber's Senior Vice President of Rides and Platforms Andrew Macdonald, as saying: We are supporting drivers and delivery people who are diagnosed with COVID-19 or placed in quarantine by a public health authority. Drivers and delivery people in these situations will receive compensation for a period of up to 14 days. This has already begun in some markets and we are working to implement mechanisms to do this worldwide. We believe this is the right thing to do. 10 stocks we like better than Uber TechnologiesWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Uber Technologies wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of December 1, 2019 Howard Smith has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Uber Technologies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Source