New York’s transit chief, Sarah Feinberg, blamed the media on Sunday for the subway ride – claiming that the news raised fears of contracting COVID-19 on trains.
“[The subway system] it was really badly served by some of the pandemic’s early coverage, “said Feinberg, interim chairman of the MTA transit, in an interview with ABC 7, referring to news recordings during subway trains.
“So I think people are starting to think, the last place I want to be is in a crowded subway car,” she said.
Feinberg said the data shows that – despite more than 28,000 COVID-19 deaths in the Big Apple in the past year – public transportation is not a hot spot for transmitting the virus.
“Well, a year ago, there were studies after studies that show that the subway system, the transit system, not just in New York, but even everywhere, is not really a place that vectors the virus,” he said. it for the station – without reference to specific studies.
Her comments come as subway travel in New York City dropped this month to about 70% from February 2020 and as city bus travel dropped by 50%.
The collapse of the straphans also comes amid a series of subway attacks that left two homeless horsemen dead last week and countless others injured.
Job losses can also be linked to declining pilots – more than 550,000 New Yorkers have lost their jobs in the past year, and others have moved to remote work.
Transit officials, including Feinberg, have also made cuts to metro service lines such as C and F trains and reduced hours in the last year.
A study commissioned by the agency predicted that subway passengers will not return to pre-COVID-19 levels until at least 2024.