Black cab driver who died 'after catching coronavirus' may have caught it from customer's cash, family say

The daughter of a London taxi driver who died after appearing to contract Covid-19 believes he may have caught the virus off cash handed over by one of his customers.

Spencer Kurash, 56, passed away at his Chigwell home on Wednesday a week after initially developing symptoms associated with coronavirus.

His daughter, Natasha, 18, said her father may have been infected by the virus while handling money in his black cab.

"It could have been an infected passenger who handed over money," she told The Daily Mirror. "It's just devastating."

Banknotes can carry the coronavirus, but experts say the risk of them doing so is relatively small. The World Health Organisation has advised people to wash their hands after touching money, especially if handling or eating food.

Mr Kurash had been a cabbie for 22 years and was a keen Tottenham fan and season ticket holder.

He first noticed Covid-19 symptoms after his last shift on March 18 and immediately went into self-isolation.

His symptoms quickly deteriorated on Wednesday, prompting his wife of 19 years, Esther, to attempt to resuscitate him and the family to call 999.

Paramedics battled to save him in for an hour in his north-east London home but were unable to save him.

Tests are now being carried out to confirm whether Mr Kurash had contracted coronavirus.

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