Mar 9, 2020
CLEVELAND, OH – After working through schedules over the weekend, The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) is now able to allocate additional resources to clean every train every 24 hours. RTA will also continue to disinfect buses and paratransit vehicles every 24 hours as originally planned, beginning today as well.
Last week, RTA announced the enhanced cleaning protocol in response to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus. RTA staff said it would clean all touchable surfaces on board its vehicles with a cleaning agent recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Buses, which carry 85% of the system’s riders, as well as trains, will now be sanitized at least every 24 hours. The original protocol called for sanitizing rail cars every 72 hours, like other transit systems, including MTA in New York City, which also began a similar protocol last week.
“We want our riders to know that we will clean every bus, and now every train, every day and that it’s safe to ride RTA. We've had very positive feedback from riders as we've prioritized our mission to provide safe, reliable, clean and courteous public transportation. With the public’s concern of the spread of this virus, we’re pleased to announce that we’re taking this additional step with both rail and bus,” said RTA CEO and General Manager India Birdsong.
“It’s important to note that currently there are no known cases of the coronavirus in Cleveland or in Ohio,” Birdsong said last week “We want to emphasize to our customers and our employees that there is no need to panic or be fearful. Here in Cleveland, the RTA is following the guidelines issued by local and state officials and the CDC that are applicable to this region. Now is the time to take preventative measures, and there are simple methods you can employ to keep yourself and others around you, healthy. This is a community effort. We’re asking customers to follow the preventative measures outlined by the CDC, and we’re asking our employees to do the same.”
RTA’s is reminding customers and employees of the following:
- Wash your hands and use hand sanitizer when available
- Data shows that the incidents of flu and cold are cut by 50% simply by washing your hands. Data also shows that some 30% of people fail to wash their hands throughout the day. We can’t emphasize enough the importance of regular hand washing.
- Cover coughs and sneezes with the inside of your elbow
- Keep hands away from your eyes, nose and mouth
- If you have cold or flu symptoms, please stay at home to reduce the risk of spreading any illness
- Clean and disinfect surfaces routinely
Media Contact:
Linda Scardilli Krecic
216-356-3104 (office)
216-390-9605 (cell)