(Darren McGee- Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)
April 30, 2020 By Michael Dorgan
Governor Andrew Cuomo is shutting the New York subway system for four hours each night for “aggressive” coronavirus cleanings.
The system – which has operated on a 24/7 basis throughout the pandemic – will stop for nightly closures so that trains can be cleaned and sanitized, the governor said at a press briefing Thursday.
Service will cease from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. each night beginning on May 6. All customers will be required to leave the trains and the stations during that time.
The announcement comes after much outcry about the influx of homeless people onto the trains. Critics say the trains are filthy and unsafe, off-putting to riders.
Disinfection of New York City Subway cars against coronavirus (MTA CC BY 2.0)
Under the new cleaning plan, the MTA will disinfect thousands of subway cars and buses each night.
The agency will also roll out new and innovative cleaning solutions including ultraviolet, antimicrobial and electrostatic disinfectants.
“It’s a massive undertaking we have to do,” Cuomo said. “You have to disinfect every place a hand could touch. Every handrail, pole, door…and the stations.”
Civic groups and elected officials have been critical of the conditions for weeks, arguing that they have been putting essential workers at risk.
On April 15, three Queens elected officials, including Council Members Bob Holden and Peter Koo, called for the governor and mayor to shut the system down for a week for a deep cleaning– and then upon reopening close it for nightly cleanings.
They argued that the transit system was a contributor to the spread of COVID-19.
“We were ridiculed in statements from the MTA and both the governor and mayor’s offices who said our proposals were not possible, with the MTA actually calling the idea ‘dumb,’” Holden said Thursday.
“Now they are finally implementing some of these measures that we suggested two weeks ago, so imagine how many more lives could have been saved during that time.”
My colleagues and I proposed in an April 15 letter to Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio that the MTA should shut down daily from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m., and provide free rides to essential workers using for-hire vehicles and other services. (1/3) https://t.co/YqNDpqxZ4X
— Robert Holden (@BobHoldenNYC) April 30, 2020
The MTA will provide service to health care workers, first responders and other essential personnel while the trains are shut down each night for cleaning.
The agency will utilize buses, vans and for-hire vehicles to transport these workers to their destinations for free.
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