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Monday, May 4, 2009

Transportation / Snoutbreak How Is Metro Preparing for Pandemic?

Posted by Erica C. Barnett on Mon, May 4, 2009 at 3:07 PM

Last Friday, I talked to Metro general manager Kevin Desmond about how his agency plans to respond in the event of a swine flu outbreak. The answer, in short: They're putting up signs and asking people not to cough on each other. "We're following the advice of county department of health and the CDC ... and watching very carefully how things are evolving," Desmond said. "The basic recommendation from the department of health is for people to practice protective hygiene: Don’t touch your hands to your eyes, mouth, or nose and wash your hands a lot; don’t go out in public if you're sick; and cough or sneeze into a tissue or sleeve and not your hand." If you ride the bus, you'll probably see new signage with those recommendations sometime later this week. Desmond says Metro has no plans to step up its bus-cleaning schedule, adding that it would be a "huge undertaking" to try to sanitize every bus every day.

Desmond says Metro wouldn't shut down unless ordered to by authorities—a scenario he calls a "huge financial emergency," because Metro would still have to pay people despite drastically reduced revenues—but it might reduce service, as it did during last year's snowstorms.

Comments (16) RSS

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Sanitizing the buses... really? Is this for future pandemic planning since H1N1 is proving to not be such a big deal?

Posted by Jigae on May 4, 2009 at 3:16 PM

Hi Erica

You might want to call and interview Whitney Taylor if you want more information on what the city is preparing to do if this thing gets more serious. She is the Training and Exercise Program Manager for Public Health. She should have some answers and a plan. Whatever happens. She has a magic phone during an emergency, knows all the escape routes and will be the person to know. I would be interested in reading her thoughts and what she is working on. Thanks. Great reporting. Always love your insightful articles.

Contact for Whitney Taylor:
Public Health - Seattle & King County
Training & Exercise Program Manager
whitney.taylor@kingcounty.gov

Best,

June S.

Posted by Brooklyn on May 4, 2009 at 3:25 PM

You really are a liberal Drudge, Erica.

Posted by Mr. Poe on May 4, 2009 at 3:26 PM

journalistically, they're about the same...

I'm a bit confused...in ecb's earlier and stupider post she wrote that she hadn't heard back from Metro yet, and in this post she writes about speaking with Metro on Friday on the exact same topic.

Posted by michael strangeways

on May 4, 2009 at 3:42 PM

If anyone catches Erica riding the Metro in a Hazmat suit, let me know.

Posted by SF in SF on May 4, 2009 at 3:45 PM

Isn't this the same agency that is facing a $100 million shortfall for 2010 and is considering service cuts to balance their budget? How do you expect them to pay for extra bus cleaning?

Posted by Jenny from the Block on May 4, 2009 at 3:55 PM

Metro, or any civic transit authority, should not do anything more than this. They don't have the resources to do more. People will just have to take care if this actually becomes a pandemic (surgical masks, washing, maybe disposable gloves).

Posted by Matt from Denver on May 4, 2009 at 3:58 PM

@4 i think she's referring to the specific question of whether or not a bus driver can eject a passenger who the driver thinks might be contagious to other riders. That's the question that she asked Metro this morning after getting feedback from a commenter.

Posted by devilsmoke on May 4, 2009 at 4:01 PM

Just stop the panic and get real.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on May 4, 2009 at 4:01 PM

Do it like the gym: have a big bottle of lysol and a towel on each bus. Better yet, have alcohol-based hand sanitizer, also. Trust the social contract to take care of the rest.

Posted by Mr.Joshua on May 4, 2009 at 4:17 PM

@10 Good Point. Fantastic Idea. Simple common sense.

Posted by June on May 4, 2009 at 4:38 PM

This flu outbreak is inconsequential, but I think Metro buses generally need more and more-frequent cleaning than they currently get...

Posted by Simac on May 4, 2009 at 5:38 PM

I agree with everyone that there seems to be no cause for alarm now. However, if H1N1 comes back in the fall with a higher infection rate and a higher death risk I hope that Metro revises its agency priorities put sanitizing busses close to the top of their list.

Also, why does Metro have to pay their workers even in the event of closure? Most other employers wouldn't do that.

Posted by Diana on May 4, 2009 at 6:27 PM

Does this automatically mean that they'd cut most of the routes servicing Kapitol Hill?

Posted by Weekilter on May 4, 2009 at 8:30 PM

Hog wash!

Posted by PA Native on May 4, 2009 at 9:22 PM

Erica you might want to ask Metro whether and at what rate their bus heating/AC systems replace or recirculate interior air. My understanding is that the 300+ buses with A/C (all the newest buses) recirculate 100% of the air which means NO new air comes in!

To make it worse, their newest buses do not even have windows that open. Their vehicle maintenance people are at fault - they are idiots.

Posted by Bobbybebar on May 5, 2009 at 1:54 PM