- As of Monday, 22 of New York City's transit workers have died from the novel coronavirus, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider.
- A total of 5,430 MTA workers are self-quarantined, including 1,092 employees who have tested positive for the virus.
- Of the MTA's 74,000 employees, more than 7% are self-quarantining.
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Twenty-two New York City transit employees have died as a result of the novel coronavirus, Metropolitan Transit Authority spokesperson Aaron Donovan confirmed to Business Insider on Monday, while confirmed cases among MTA staffers have skyrocketed.
Donovan also confirmed that the number of MTA employees who are self-quarantining has risen to 5,430, including 1,092 workers who have tested positive. The MTA employs roughly 74,000 people, meaning that slightly more than 7% of the agency's workforce is either quarantining at home or has tested positive for COVID-19.
The number of coronavirus cases among New York's transit workers has ballooned in recent weeks. Fifty-two employees had tested positive as of March 24, according to The Wall Street Journal. By March 31, that figure had multiplied to 582.
In an effort to protect workers, the MTA said it will distribute close to 250,000 N95 masks to essential employees of the Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad, New York City Transit, and its Bridges and Tunnels division.
In early March, as the number of coronavirus cases in New York began to climb, the MTA began ramping up efforts to disinfect stations, train cars, and buses in order to curb the disease's spread. Now, the agency disinfects high-touch surfaces in stations twice per day and disinfects its entire fleet every 72 hours.
Due to a staffing shortage and a massive drop in ridership, the MTA is currently operating limited service to transport healthcare workers and other personnel deemed essential by New York State.
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