- Uber suspended the accounts of 240 Mexican users in an attempt to stop the coronavirus spreading.
- According to Uber Mexico's Twitter account, the suspended users had ridden with two drivers who came into contact with a possible coronavirus case.
- Numerous major tech companies have placed restrictions on their employees' travel in recent weeks as the virus has spread within mainland China and beyond.
- Business Insider has approached Uber for comment.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Uber is freezing the accounts of 240 users in Mexico as a precaution after flagging that two drivers made journeys with a passenger who was identified as being "a possible carrier of the coronavirus."
"On Friday 31st January, we were handed a notice by public health services in the City of Mexico after requesting information with respect to a user identified by them as being a possible carrier of the coronavirus," according to a statement posted on Uber Mexico's Twitter account in Spanish.
"In accordance with our protocols and as a precaution, we've proceeded to send information to these drivers and to the 240 users regarding the temporary deactivation of their accounts," the statement said.
Uber's statement came as a reply to a user who posted on Twitter a notification of the suspension of their account.
"We received information from Mexico's public health service provider regarding a user of the app who had previously used the same vehicle as you, and who has a possible diagnosis of coronavirus," a message from Uber to a user named Norma said in Spanish. "For the time being, your account can't be used to make journeys."
To date, there have not been any confirmed cases of the deadly virus in Mexico. Uber isn't the only major tech company to have acted in the wake of the coronavirus.
Last week, Facebook pledged to limit and remove misinformation about the Wuhan coronavirus shared on its platform, while also informing users if something they share is false.
The social media giant has confirmed to Business Insider that it had halted all non-essential travel to China by its staff, while its employees based in China were also directed to work from home, Bloomberg wrote last week.
Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Apple have all placed sharp restrictions on their own employees' travel to mainland China.
Since it first emerged in late December in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the coronavirus has spread rapidly within mainland China.
To date, there have been 17,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and 361 deaths in China, while there have also been 150 confirmed coronavirus cases outside China, with one person dying in the Philippines.
Business Insider has approached Uber for comment.
Axel Springer, Insider Inc.'s parent company, is an investor in Uber.
