Uber suspends hundreds of accounts after coronavirus patient takes rides in Mexico
A Chinese man who tested positive for the coronavirus had used Uber on a recent trip to Mexico, prompting the company to suspend hundreds of other riders’ accounts to contain the spread of the epidemic.
The man flew Jan. 20 from Los Angeles to Mexico City, where he took Uber rides on at least two occasions, BBC reported.
He then began suffering symptoms on the evening of Jan. 21 and the next day took an Uber back to the airport, the report said. The man flew back to the US, where he was diagnosed with the coronavirus.
Further details were not released about the man’s health condition or travels, such as whether he previously visited the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus.
Uber said it has suspended two drivers whom he came into contact with on the trip, as well as 240 other rider accounts in case one of the drivers potentially spread the virus to them, BBC reported.
The drivers and passengers won’t be able to use the app for two weeks — the known incubation period for the virus, according to a report.
None of them have developed symptoms, but the company said it will continue to monitor the situation.
“We will keep users and drivers informed with respect to any update of their accounts,” Uber said in the statement.
Mexico hasn’t seen any confirmed cases of the coronavirus, but there have been more than 20,000 people infected across the world.
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