Despite COVID-19, Ola, Uber car-pooling remains available in India
What's the story
As coronavirus continues to wreak havoc around the world and begins to show its impact on India, people are being advised to maintain social distance to avoid potential cases of community spread. Schools, colleges, gyms, cinema halls, and a number of public places have been closed to prevent large gatherings/transmissions, but one major aspect still remains ignored: car-pooling services. Here's more about it.
Problem
Social contact can lead to coronavirus transmission
Scientists say social contact can lead to the transmission of coronavirus disease COVID-19. This means if you're traveling/living/spending time with a person who has contracted the virus, you may get the illness from them - through the saliva droplets expelled by them while speaking, laughing, coughing and sneezing. That is exactly how the virus spread from Wuhan to Italy, Iran, India and other countries.
Action
Pre-emptive action to prevent outbreak
Given the spread of coronavirus, countries around the world, including India, have been rushing to carry out tests while advising the public to stay indoors. Nations like China and Italy, where major outbreaks have been reported, are on lockdown while others are still monitoring the evolving situation and taking pre-emptive steps like closing down public spaces, imposing travel restrictions to prevent an outbreak.
Details
Schools, gyms, colleges closed, offices transitioning to remote working
The total number of COVID-19 infections in India stands at 150+, most being in Maharashtra. The government has already closed schools, colleges, gyms, cinema halls, and other public spaces and is advising the public to remain home as much as possible. Even private companies are being advised to allow work from home options to their employees.
Car-pooling
Amid all this, car-pooling services have slipped through
Despite the growing number of cases and the government's health advisory, two of the biggest cab aggregators in the country, Ola and Uber, have still not stopped their car-pooling services. At the time of writing, both the companies had the option to let multiple individuals going in the same direction share a ride and pay a lower single/double-seat fare.
Suspension
Uber suspended pooling in some regions, excluding India
Notably, on March 17, Uber announced to suspend the pooling option in some regions but not India. "To flatten the curve of community spread in the cities we serve, we are suspending our Pool option in the US, Canada, London, and Paris," the company said, noting that it is "in contact with local leaders globally and expect[s] to take similar action when needed elsewhere."
Problem
Now, this can be a major problem
Uber's statement indicates the company will take action if it deems that the situation is getting worse in India or in other regions. This could be a major problem as viral spreads like these demand pre-emptive action to prevent an outbreak. If that does not happen, people could contract the virus through infected people riding with them, further increasing the number of cases.
Information
Meanwhile, Ola remains silent on the matter
Ola, on the other hand, has not commented on the matter or what it plans to do (or is doing) to protect the health and safety of its drivers and riders from COVID-19.
Situation
So far, COVID-19 has killed nearly 8,000 globally
Since spreading from Wuhan, COVID-19 has claimed nearly 8,000 lives and infected over 1,95,000 people around the world. The disease has hit business operations across industries and led to the cancellation of major public events, including Google's I/O 2020 and MWC. However, as of now, working around these disruptions through different measures and keeping people healthy should be #1 on every organization's priority list.