MTA Nears 2 Million In Distributed Masks, 4M Pairs of Gloves

NEW YORK CITY — As of next week, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will have distributed 1.9 million masks and 4 million pairs of gloves to local residents, MTA officials announced Wednesday. The personal protection equipment has been distributed across New York City, the MTA Bus Company, Long Island Railroad, Metro-North Railroad, MTA bridges and tunnels and the MTA Police Department.

The total of PPE that has been given out includes 1.1 million N95 and KB95 masks and 800,000 surgical masks. Additionally, the MTA has distributed 24,000 gallons of hand sanitizer since March 1, including 110,000 small bottles, 1.8 million individual cleaning wipes and 100,000 gallons of cleaning solutions.

“The distribution of personal protective equipment is part of a continuous commitment to protect our heroic frontline employees during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Patrick Warren, MTA chief safety officer said in a news release. “Our heroic employees deserve to have the PPE they need in order to be safe.”

This week, the MTA received a final shipment of more than 1,000 gallons of hand sanitizer for future distribution across agencies as needed. The 19 barrels of hand sanitizer, each of which contains 55 gallons, were picked up from the New York State Office of Emergency Management in Albany and transported to a Bronx storage facility by the MTA Police Department's Highway Unit.