Cuomo talks NYC subway closures and cleaning

Yahoo News Video
Updated

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo discussed the subway closures and cleaning of subway cars in New York City.

Video Transcript

GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO: We're going to do something that has never been done before. And that is that the MTA is going to be disinfecting every train 24 hours. This is such a monumental undertaking, I can't even begin to describe it to you.

The New York City subway system has never been closed. It operates 24 hours a day because we have a 24-hour city. We're taking the unprecedented step during this pandemic of closing the system for four hours at night from 1:00 AM to 5:00 AM, when the ridership is lowest. The ridership is lower to begin with. It's down about 90% because of everything. But it's lowest during 1:00 AM to 5:00 AM.

We're going to close it from 1:00 AM to 5:00 AM. The MTA is going to literally disinfect every train. And I just viewed the operations on how they're doing it. It's smart. It's labor-intensive. People have to wear haz-mat suits. They have a number of chemicals that disinfect.

But literally, you have to go through the whole train with a misting device where they spray disinfectant literally on every surface. You know, this virus, they're just studying it now. But there are reports that say the virus can live two or three days on some surfaces, like stainless steel. You look at the inside of a subway car. You look at the rails. You look at the bars. They're all stainless steel.

So to make sure the transit workers are safe, to make sure the riding public is safe, the best thing you can do is disinfect the whole inside of the car, as massive a challenge that is. But that's what the MTA is doing, and they're doing it extraordinarily well. And it's just another sign of the dedication, the skill, the capacity of our transit workers, which is indicative of the story of New York. I mean, they are stepping up in a big, big way.

And not just the cars, they're also doing stations, all the handrails, et cetera. And it's good and smart for the transit workers, who have to work in that environment, but it's also right for the riding public. And we want people to know who need to use the subways and the buses because they are working that they are safe.