The second and final part of a shipment of more than 1 million additional masks and 50,000 pairs of new gloves has been received by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to provide to frontline workers across the MTA regional system during the COVID-19 outbreak.
"We are relentless when it comes to securing and obtaining personal protective equipment for our employees, including masks and gloves, to keep these heroes safe while they work to get doctors, nurses, police, transit colleagues and other essential workers to their jobs,” said Patrick J. Foye, MTA Chairman and CEO. “It's no small feat to supply the largest transportation agency in North America, with 71,000 employees, in the middle of a worldwide shortage. We are laser-focused on making sure our employees are safe during the COVID-19 pandemic – heroes moving heroes deserve no less."
The MTA received 750,000 new surgical masks, 360,000 new KN95 masks and 50,000 pairs of new gloves. The shipment more than doubles the 750,000 masks already distributed since March 1, and adds to the 2.9 million pairs of gloves already distributed. KN95 masks, also known as respirators, meet international and MTA performance standards and serve as a suitable alternative to N95 respirators, which provide protection against small-particle aerosols. Surgical masks are suitable for general use, are easier for many people to breathe through and are available in enough supply for replenishment daily for many employees.
The MTA says it continues to aggressively procure more masks of all kinds, including N95 and KN95 respirators, in the face of significant worldwide shortages. The MTA has also distributed more than 17,000 gallons and over 90,000 bottles of hand sanitizer,750,000 sanitizing wipes and 75,000 gallons of cleaning solution to its employees since March.
The MTA continues its comprehensive disinfecting efforts systemwide with trains and buses being disinfected nightly, with the entire fleets for all agencies completed every 72 hours or less, since March 2. The MTA has also implemented rear-door boarding and eliminated cash transactions to prevent person-to-person contact to ensure the safety of operating employees.
The MTA launched the Temperature Brigade on March 24 and later expanded the force to 24 locations, testing tens of thousands of employees across New York City Transit, Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road. Temperatures will also be checked at an additional seven locations for subway operating and maintenance crews by the end of this weekend.
The MTA is also installing plexiglass barriers at work locations across all 28 bus depots to further protect employees. In addition, the MTA installed plexiglass barriers for employees in 45 subway locations and is continuing to install them throughout the system.
The MTA has also created a new partnership with Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care to provide prioritized COVID-19 testing to symptomatic frontline MTA workers at its 52 urgent care facilities throughout the New York metropolitan region.
