As coronavirus spreads across Pakistan, many businesses have taken to suspend operations in an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus.

On Wednesday, the transportation startup Airlift released a statement announcing a temporary suspension of its services. The decision was taken considering the surge in Coronavirus cases in Pakistan as numbers shot over 200 in the last couple of days. Airlift commented in a tweet, “With the rise of #COVID19 cases in Pakistan, Airlift has decided to act in the collective interest & suspend operations keeping in mind the health and safety of our passengers. Please avoid using public transportation, & practice #SocialDistanacing.”

It further informed that globally public transport had been seen as a high risk zone which enabled the spread of the virus and urged people to avoid such modes of commute.

The statement added, “This decision comes from Airlift’s commitment to putting the safety of its customers, pilots and teammates ahead of other considerations. Our team would like to take this opportunity to advise our passenger community to avoid crowded places, including buses.”

As per the government’s instructions, Careem has suspended its bus service but is continuing with other cab hailing services.

Swvl has resorted to installation of hand sanitizers in its buses and will only operate at half its capacity.