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| They Can’t Afford to Quarantine. So They Brave the Subway. | They Can’t Afford to Quarantine. So They Brave the Subway. |
| (14 days later) | |
| As the coronavirus pandemic has all but shut down New York City, its subway — an emblem of urban overcrowding — has become almost unrecognizable, with overall ridership down 87 percent. | As the coronavirus pandemic has all but shut down New York City, its subway — an emblem of urban overcrowding — has become almost unrecognizable, with overall ridership down 87 percent. |
| But even as officials crack down on gatherings in New York, removing hoops from basketball courts and sending the police to break up parties, subway stations in poorer neighborhoods are still bustling, as if almost nothing has changed. | But even as officials crack down on gatherings in New York, removing hoops from basketball courts and sending the police to break up parties, subway stations in poorer neighborhoods are still bustling, as if almost nothing has changed. |
| It is a striking turnabout for a system that has long been the great equalizer, a space where hourly workers jostled alongside financial executives. Now the subway has become more of a symbol of the city’s inequality, amplifying the divide between those with the means to safely shelter at home and those who must continue braving public transit to preserve meager livelihoods. | It is a striking turnabout for a system that has long been the great equalizer, a space where hourly workers jostled alongside financial executives. Now the subway has become more of a symbol of the city’s inequality, amplifying the divide between those with the means to safely shelter at home and those who must continue braving public transit to preserve meager livelihoods. |
| “This virus is very dangerous. I don’t want to get sick, I don’t want my family to get sick, but I still need to get to my job,” said Yolanda Encanción, a home health aide, as she waited for her train in the Bronx. | “This virus is very dangerous. I don’t want to get sick, I don’t want my family to get sick, but I still need to get to my job,” said Yolanda Encanción, a home health aide, as she waited for her train in the Bronx. |
| The station she uses is one of two in the Bronx that have largely retained their ridership and serve neighborhoods with some of the highest poverty rates in the city, a Times analysis found. | The station she uses is one of two in the Bronx that have largely retained their ridership and serve neighborhoods with some of the highest poverty rates in the city, a Times analysis found. |
| The 170th Street station in the University Heights neighborhood and Burnside station in the Mount Eden area are surrounded by large Latin American and African immigrant communities where the median household income is about $22,000 — one-third the median household income in the state, according to census data. | The 170th Street station in the University Heights neighborhood and Burnside station in the Mount Eden area are surrounded by large Latin American and African immigrant communities where the median household income is about $22,000 — one-third the median household income in the state, according to census data. |
| Many residents say they have no choice but to pile onto trains with strangers, potentially exposing themselves to the virus. Even worse, a reduction in service in response to plunging ridership has led, at times, to crowded conditions, making it impossible to maintain the social distancing that public health experts recommend. | Many residents say they have no choice but to pile onto trains with strangers, potentially exposing themselves to the virus. Even worse, a reduction in service in response to plunging ridership has led, at times, to crowded conditions, making it impossible to maintain the social distancing that public health experts recommend. |
| Across New York, nearly 66,500 people have tested positive for the coronavirus and 1,218 people have died, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said on Monday. Most cases are concentrated in New York City, where over 36,000 people have tested positive. | Across New York, nearly 66,500 people have tested positive for the coronavirus and 1,218 people have died, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said on Monday. Most cases are concentrated in New York City, where over 36,000 people have tested positive. |
| Sitting on a bench at the 170th Street station, Ms. Encanción stretched a medical mask across her face and slipped her hands into latex gloves. The risk of exposure to the coronavirus on the subway is just part of the simmering anxiety that hangs like a backdrop to her everyday life. | Sitting on a bench at the 170th Street station, Ms. Encanción stretched a medical mask across her face and slipped her hands into latex gloves. The risk of exposure to the coronavirus on the subway is just part of the simmering anxiety that hangs like a backdrop to her everyday life. |
| Her two teenage children are desperate to see their friends, but she only allows them to leave the family’s two-bedroom apartment for a walk with their aunt once a day. | Her two teenage children are desperate to see their friends, but she only allows them to leave the family’s two-bedroom apartment for a walk with their aunt once a day. |
| Ms. Encanción’s husband was a janitor at a private school until he was laid off after the school shut down, slashing her family’s income in half. They have enough savings to cover this month’s rent, but nothing more. | Ms. Encanción’s husband was a janitor at a private school until he was laid off after the school shut down, slashing her family’s income in half. They have enough savings to cover this month’s rent, but nothing more. |
| “Next month how will we pay? I can’t even think about it,” she said. | “Next month how will we pay? I can’t even think about it,” she said. |
| Ms. Encanción was one of the few passengers on her line on a recent weekday after ridership across the subway plunged nearly 90 percent compared with the same day last year, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the subway and buses. | Ms. Encanción was one of the few passengers on her line on a recent weekday after ridership across the subway plunged nearly 90 percent compared with the same day last year, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the subway and buses. |
| Put differently, before the crisis erupted more than five million people squeezed onto the system every day — today, it carries fewer than 1 million. | Put differently, before the crisis erupted more than five million people squeezed onto the system every day — today, it carries fewer than 1 million. |
| But a Times analysis of M.T.A. data shows that ridership declines in each of the four boroughs served by the subway vary significantly and largely along socioeconomic lines. | But a Times analysis of M.T.A. data shows that ridership declines in each of the four boroughs served by the subway vary significantly and largely along socioeconomic lines. |
| Over the last two weeks, the steepest ridership declines have occurred in Manhattan, where the median household income is $80,000 — the highest of any of the city’s five boroughs. | Over the last two weeks, the steepest ridership declines have occurred in Manhattan, where the median household income is $80,000 — the highest of any of the city’s five boroughs. |
| Subway ridership in Manhattan fell around 75 percent, while ridership in the Bronx, which has the highest poverty rate of any of the boroughs and the lowest median income at $38,000, dropped by around 55 percent, according to an analysis of data of Friday morning commutes through March 20. | Subway ridership in Manhattan fell around 75 percent, while ridership in the Bronx, which has the highest poverty rate of any of the boroughs and the lowest median income at $38,000, dropped by around 55 percent, according to an analysis of data of Friday morning commutes through March 20. |
| The Burnside Avenue and 170th Street stations serve some of the people most vulnerable to the economic and public health threats sweeping New York. | The Burnside Avenue and 170th Street stations serve some of the people most vulnerable to the economic and public health threats sweeping New York. |
| In areas bordering the stations, roughly half the children live in poverty, 40 percent of the population was born outside the United States and one in four residents does not have a high school diploma. | In areas bordering the stations, roughly half the children live in poverty, 40 percent of the population was born outside the United States and one in four residents does not have a high school diploma. |
| At the 170th Street station, riders still come in waves every morning: Men tend to arrive first, swiping into the station before dawn. Wearing paint-splattered jeans and carrying battered hard hats, they board trains to construction sites. | At the 170th Street station, riders still come in waves every morning: Men tend to arrive first, swiping into the station before dawn. Wearing paint-splattered jeans and carrying battered hard hats, they board trains to construction sites. |
| Later, many women trickle onto the platform, mostly nurses and home health aides who have been deemed essential workers. | Later, many women trickle onto the platform, mostly nurses and home health aides who have been deemed essential workers. |
| Others are home cooks and nannies for the well-to-do, hoping to keep their jobs as long as possible in an unraveling economy. | Others are home cooks and nannies for the well-to-do, hoping to keep their jobs as long as possible in an unraveling economy. |
| Sulay Liriano, 40, was at the 170th Street station, starting her commute to Queens. A personal care aide, she had received an email from her employer the day before instructing her and her colleagues in bold, red letters that they were considered “ESSENTIAL” and must show up for work. | Sulay Liriano, 40, was at the 170th Street station, starting her commute to Queens. A personal care aide, she had received an email from her employer the day before instructing her and her colleagues in bold, red letters that they were considered “ESSENTIAL” and must show up for work. |
| On the one hand, Ms. Liriano is grateful to still have an income: Her husband, who had worked at a restaurant helping with deliveries and odd jobs in the kitchen, had been let go. | On the one hand, Ms. Liriano is grateful to still have an income: Her husband, who had worked at a restaurant helping with deliveries and odd jobs in the kitchen, had been let go. |
| But Ms. Liriano is anxious about the two and a half hours she spends every day huddling with strangers in an enclosed subway car. For years, she made her work commute without giving it much thought. | But Ms. Liriano is anxious about the two and a half hours she spends every day huddling with strangers in an enclosed subway car. For years, she made her work commute without giving it much thought. |
| Now she scans every pole, every seat, every person, as if looking for signs of an invisible enemy. She is hyper-aware of where she keeps her hands, resisting the urge to fix a fallen strand of hair or wipe a stray lash from her eyelids. | Now she scans every pole, every seat, every person, as if looking for signs of an invisible enemy. She is hyper-aware of where she keeps her hands, resisting the urge to fix a fallen strand of hair or wipe a stray lash from her eyelids. |
| “I am worried, really,’’ said Ms. Liriano, who has not been able to find a face mask since panicked shoppers emptied neighborhood store shelves. “There are still many people here, people I don’t know, I don’t know what precautions they are taking, if they are sick. | “I am worried, really,’’ said Ms. Liriano, who has not been able to find a face mask since panicked shoppers emptied neighborhood store shelves. “There are still many people here, people I don’t know, I don’t know what precautions they are taking, if they are sick. |
| “It’s the riskiest part of my day, taking the train,’’ she added. | “It’s the riskiest part of my day, taking the train,’’ she added. |
| The M.T.A. has tried to protect its diminished ridership: It has deployed cleaners to disinfect train cars and buses every three days with the same disinfectants used in hospitals and nursing homes. | The M.T.A. has tried to protect its diminished ridership: It has deployed cleaners to disinfect train cars and buses every three days with the same disinfectants used in hospitals and nursing homes. |
| Updated July 7, 2020 | |
| The coronavirus can stay aloft for hours in tiny droplets in stagnant air, infecting people as they inhale, mounting scientific evidence suggests. This risk is highest in crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation, and may help explain super-spreading events reported in meatpacking plants, churches and restaurants. It’s unclear how often the virus is spread via these tiny droplets, or aerosols, compared with larger droplets that are expelled when a sick person coughs or sneezes, or transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces, said Linsey Marr, an aerosol expert at Virginia Tech. Aerosols are released even when a person without symptoms exhales, talks or sings, according to Dr. Marr and more than 200 other experts, who have outlined the evidence in an open letter to the World Health Organization. | |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | |
| Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles. | |
| A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. | |
| The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth. | |
| The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. | |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | |
| But hobbled by a growing number of workers falling sick and the free fall in ridership, the agency has cut subway service by 25 percent. | But hobbled by a growing number of workers falling sick and the free fall in ridership, the agency has cut subway service by 25 percent. |
| “Service is constrained by the number of crews we have available during this crisis — not surprisingly, absences are in the thousands,” said Sarah Feinberg, interim president of New York City Transit. | “Service is constrained by the number of crews we have available during this crisis — not surprisingly, absences are in the thousands,” said Sarah Feinberg, interim president of New York City Transit. |
| As of Monday, seven M.T.A. workers had died from the coronavirus while at least another 333 workers had tested positive and 2,700 were quarantined, officials said. The chairman of the M.T.A., Patrick J. Foye, also has the infection. | As of Monday, seven M.T.A. workers had died from the coronavirus while at least another 333 workers had tested positive and 2,700 were quarantined, officials said. The chairman of the M.T.A., Patrick J. Foye, also has the infection. |
| Outside the 170th Street station, the streets are nearly empty. Most stores have shuttered, their metal security gates pulled closed. The only places open were two pharmacies, where lines of customers curled out the front doors. | Outside the 170th Street station, the streets are nearly empty. Most stores have shuttered, their metal security gates pulled closed. The only places open were two pharmacies, where lines of customers curled out the front doors. |
| A short ride on the No. 4 train is the Burnside Avenue station. Every morning riders still stream onto its outdoor platforms. | A short ride on the No. 4 train is the Burnside Avenue station. Every morning riders still stream onto its outdoor platforms. |
| Cindy Garcia, a caseworker at a homeless shelter in Manhattan, kept her hands tucked deep inside her pockets. Her disinfecting regimen at work is meticulous: Every pen a client touches, every doorknob she grabs, every chair she sits on she wipes down with Lysol. | Cindy Garcia, a caseworker at a homeless shelter in Manhattan, kept her hands tucked deep inside her pockets. Her disinfecting regimen at work is meticulous: Every pen a client touches, every doorknob she grabs, every chair she sits on she wipes down with Lysol. |
| When she meets with a client, they sit on opposite ends of the room. | When she meets with a client, they sit on opposite ends of the room. |
| But on the train, Ms. Garcia has no illusion about having that kind of control. She can keep her hands covered, she can wear a mask, but it is impossible to stay the recommended six feet away from other riders. | But on the train, Ms. Garcia has no illusion about having that kind of control. She can keep her hands covered, she can wear a mask, but it is impossible to stay the recommended six feet away from other riders. |
| “Just look at these subway cars, they’re still crowded,” she said. | “Just look at these subway cars, they’re still crowded,” she said. |
| The No. 4 train was among the lines where service was reduced, a policy that health officials warn could lead to packed trains and increase health risks for the essential workers, including health care employees, who need to ride them. | The No. 4 train was among the lines where service was reduced, a policy that health officials warn could lead to packed trains and increase health risks for the essential workers, including health care employees, who need to ride them. |
| Still, for other riders, the possibility of contracting the coronavirus was the least of their concerns. | Still, for other riders, the possibility of contracting the coronavirus was the least of their concerns. |
| Daouda Ba, a 43-year-old immigrant from Senegal, sat hands tucked between his knees at the Burnside Avenue station. | Daouda Ba, a 43-year-old immigrant from Senegal, sat hands tucked between his knees at the Burnside Avenue station. |
| Mr. Ba lives in a nearby shelter, where he says more than 50 men share three bathrooms. The idea of disinfecting doorknobs or even having hand sanitizer is laughable. Just getting time at the sink to wash his hands is hard enough. | Mr. Ba lives in a nearby shelter, where he says more than 50 men share three bathrooms. The idea of disinfecting doorknobs or even having hand sanitizer is laughable. Just getting time at the sink to wash his hands is hard enough. |
| “I’m already stuck in a crowded box in the shelter, I can’t do anything for my health,” he said, looking at the other people standing nearby. “The only thing I’m worried about is the economic stuff.” | “I’m already stuck in a crowded box in the shelter, I can’t do anything for my health,” he said, looking at the other people standing nearby. “The only thing I’m worried about is the economic stuff.” |
| Mr. Ba was laid off from his job working for a sightseeing bus tour company at the end of December. His boss said they would hire him back by the end of March, but now his job prospects are as uncertain as ever. | Mr. Ba was laid off from his job working for a sightseeing bus tour company at the end of December. His boss said they would hire him back by the end of March, but now his job prospects are as uncertain as ever. |
| On a recent morning, a friend had called with a small, paying job: Someone was moving out of their apartment and needed a hand. He sat waiting for the train to take him to Brooklyn, the rin-tin-tin of light rain hitting the metal awning. | On a recent morning, a friend had called with a small, paying job: Someone was moving out of their apartment and needed a hand. He sat waiting for the train to take him to Brooklyn, the rin-tin-tin of light rain hitting the metal awning. |
| “If I die, I die,” he said. | “If I die, I die,” he said. |