You are reading

MTA Announces That it is Taking Precautions Against Coronavirus

Photo: Stock Unsplash

Jan. 29, 2020 By Kristen Torres

The MTA announced yesterday that it is taking all appropriate precautions to prevent the potential spread of coronavirus in the city.

The agency said that while there have been no confirmed cases of the virus in New York, it stands ready to make sure that its employees and its 8 million daily customers–across the NYC Transit, Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road– are kept safe.

The MTA said that it is assessing contingency plans and materials used in the past to address health conditions should the Centers for Disease Control recommend further action by transportation networks. The MTA said it is working closely with state and federal health officials.

“We take this issue very seriously, and are following the CDC’s lead while we further monitor the situation and evaluate contingency plans,” said Patrick Warren, Chief Safety Officer of the MTA. “In the meantime, we encourage everyone to take the standard precautions they would during any flu season.”

MTA officials are urging their employees get flu shots. Additionally, they are advising customers to take additional precautions–such as washing their hands, avoiding contact with sick people, and covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue. The agency is also asking customers to stay home if sick.

The coronavirus first appeared in China last year, and the United States saw its first case of the virus on Jan. 21, according to the CDC.

The CDC said individuals who are experiencing symptoms and may have traveled to areas of concern, or have been in contact with someone who has traveled to those areas, should get checked out by a healthcare provider.

email the author: news@queenspost.com

2 Comments

Click for Comments 

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Hollis man charged with raping 14-year-old told teen, ‘I can help you get work’

New details have emerged in the case of the Hollis man accused luring a 14-year-old boy into his car in St. Albans and then allegedly raping him on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 1.

Virgilio Taveras, 63, of Hillside Avenue, was arrested by detectives from the Queens Special Victims Squad two days later and booked at the 107th Precinct in Fresh Meadows. Taveras was arraigned on the Fourth of July in Queens Criminal Court on a complaint charging him with rape in the second degree, luring a child as an E felony, endangering the welfare of a child and other related crimes.

Man in his 50s sought for exposing himself to 13-year-old on E train in Forest Hills: NYPD

Police from the 112th Precinct in Forest Hills and Transit District 20 are looking for a suspect who allegedly flashed a 13-year-old girl on a Queens subway train last month.

The victim was riding a southbound E train approaching the Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike station at around 1 p.m. on Monday, June 30, when she saw a stranger exposing himself to her, police said Wednesday. The perpetrator ran off the train at the Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike station and fled in an unknown direction. The youngster was not injured during her encounter with the stranger.