Uber suspends accounts in Mexico over cononavirus fears

Uber’s Mexican operation stopped 240 users from hailing rides via the service over the weekend while it investigated claims that two of its drivers in Mexico City had come into contact with a rider suspected of having the coronavirus. The 240 affected users had, in turn, ridden with the pair of drivers. Uber announced the move in a statement on its Mexican Twitter account on Saturday.

No Mexican cases yet — Yesterday Reuters reported that while there have been nine suspected coronavirus cases in Mexico, they’ve all since been declared negative. According to Gizmodo, Uber has used messages to those users whose accounts it’s suspended to encourage them to contact health authorities if they begin to develop symptoms, which resemble those of a respiratory infection.

Plenty of tech companies are affected — Uber is only the latest in a slew of technology companies affected by the mysterious virus, the first cases of which were reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019. Apple’s iPhone production may be affected by it, Facebook has curtailed employee travel to China, and numerous airlines have canceled flights to and from the country.

Twitter, meanwhile, has taken steps to combat the spread of misinformation about the virus on its platform as have Facebook and Google, which now prioritizes World Health Organization-vetted information in search results.