Uber is reportedly considering suspending the accounts of riders and drivers who have contracted the coronavirus.
This was reported by CNN where they have obtained a statement from the company.
“We have a team available 24/7 to support public health authorities in their response to the epidemic. Working with them, we may temporarily suspend the accounts of riders or drivers confirmed to have contracted or been exposed to COVID-19. We’re also consulting with an epidemiiologist to make sure our efforts as a company are grounded in medical advice.
This is quite a radical policy change by Uber in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic. The COVID-19 disease is spread by close contact from droplets emitted by the infected person. Cars have limited space and the transmission between driver and passenger or vice versa is easy and you can understand why Uber decided to do this.
Uber will also take other extra steps due to the coronavirus outbreak. Drivers or delivery people diagnosed with the virus or asked to self-isolate will receive financial assistance up to 14 days while their account is on hold. They will also provide drivers with disinfectants. The company will also allow Uber Eats customers to ask delivery people to leave food at the door.
The outbreak has affected a lot of sectors of the economy and the rideshare industry that Uber is in has not been spared. We don’t know how they will get information about people who have contracted the virus so that they can effectively suspend them from their network.
