NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – The MTA said Saturday that it has greatly increased the number of locations where its employees are having their temperatures taken as the coronavirus continues to take a heavy toll on the agency's workforce.
MTA Chairman Pat Foye told 1010 WINS Saturday that the MTA has expanded the number of sites since its “temperature brigade” began using thermal scanners on March 13.
There are now more than 70 “strategic, rotating locations” where workers are being tested, up from seven when the program started.
“The temperature brigade at this point has done 60,000 temperature checks of transit workers—subway, bus, Metro-North, Long Island Rail Road, and bridges and tunnels,” Foye said, adding that 3,500 are being checked each day.
Over 1 million masks and 3 million gloves have been distributed to MTA employees, he said.
Foye said 84 MTA employees have died from coronavirus-related complications, while 3,300 are currently quarantined.
He also said 6,400 MTA employees have returned to work.
"That is really good news in terms of their personal health, but it also increases the resiliency and robustness of the service that we're providing on subways, buses, Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road for essential employees," Foye said.
He said that a total of about 3,300 MTA employees have tested positive for COVID-19, Foye said.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday that starting next week antibody testing will be expanded to include transit workers, as well as first responders and members of law enforcement.
Foye applauded Cuomo for the move, saying transit workers who have tested positive will now be able to learn whether they have antibodies and if they can donate plasma.
MTA ridership has plunged 95 percent since the outbreak began, and the agency is projected to lose up to $8.5 billion this year.