WATCH | Driver kicks coughing passenger out of taxi amid coronavirus outbreak

A video of a Chinese taxi driver giving a coughing passenger the boot has gone viral online.

In the video, posted by Russian network RT, a passenger can be seen getting into the front passenger seat of a cab wearing a face mask, and telling the taxi driver to take him to the nearest hospital.

When the passenger coughs, the driver instantly asks him why he is coughing and where he came from.

Doubtful about the response, the driver points out that the passenger's accent sounds different.

The driver also asks the passenger if he has flu after hearing him sniffle.

The driver then asks the passenger if he had been to Wuhan before stopping his taxi and telling the passenger to get out.

Wuhan is the capital of central China, where at least 9-million people were put under quarantine when authorities sealed off the entire city due to the spread of the coronavirus.

The virus has taken the lives of at least 170 people so far, with more than 1,000 reported to be in critical conditions in mainland China, TimesLIVE reported.

No confirmed cases of the virus have been reported in SA yet. According to health minister Zweli Mkhize, all precautions are being taken to mitigate the risks, including the referral of air passengers to nurses on their arrival in the country if the travellers have elevated temperatures.

“We have remained vigilant on developments regarding the movement and behaviour of the viral infection across the world, and continue to engage the international fraternity to better understand how the virus behaves and its health effects,” said Mkhize.