3 MBTA Bus Drivers Test Positive For Coronavirus

BOSTON – Three MBTA bus drivers tested positive for coronavirus yesterday, prompting the MBTA to clean and disinfect the area and equipment at the T’s Cabot bus facility, in addition to anything the employees may have come in contact with, the agency said in an announcement Wednesday.

It's not clear how many others the three came in contact with, whether anyone from the public may have been exposed, or what bus lines the drivers drove.

The latest numbers from the state showed 11 people have died and more than 1,100 have tested positive for COVID-19.

"We ask the public to keep our employees in their thoughts, and I continue to express my deep gratitude to the women and men of the MBTA workforce who are serving a vital purpose in combating COVID-19," said MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak in a statement. “To ensure we can protect the health and safety of our workforce, we strongly urge essential travel only, and we will continue our enhanced protocols for cleaning and disinfecting all vehicles, equipment, and surfaces.”

Officials said the MBTA has enacted its COVID-19 outbreak plan, which it developed with guidance from the Department of Public Health. The plan includes disinfecting the impacted employees’ workspace, buses, and equipment that they may have come into contact with, in addition to the ongoing regular cleaning of the buses and other MBTA equipment and high touch surfaces throughout the MBTA every four hours.

Public health officials said they alerted close contacts of the three who tested positive and will provide them with instructions for self-quarantine.

On March 21, the MBTA also implemented rear-door boarding on all MBTA buses and trolleys at street-level stops on the Green Line and Mattapan Line in an effort to support social distancing for drivers, although seniors and people with disabilities who still need to use the front door can request it.

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