COVID19 2020-08-07 TCAT Bus Route 30

The Tompkins County Health Department received notification that an individual tested positive for COVID-19 who rode on a Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) bus on Wednesday, August 26, 2020.

Potential exposures may have occurred on Wednesday, August 26, 2020 during the following times on bus route 30:

• Route 30 outbound: 11:51am-12:26pm to the Shops at Ithaca Mall
• Route 30 inbound: 2:28pm-2:51pm to Seneca St.

Passengers on bus route 30 on August 26, during the times listed above, please do the following:

• It is recommended that you get tested for COVID-19. Testing is available:
  • Cayuga Health Sampling Site located at The Shops at Ithaca Mall parking lot, 40 Catherwood Rd. Register for an appointment online at cayugahealthsystem.org or call the Cayuga Health Call Center at 607-319-5708. Regular hours for the Sampling Site and Call Center are Monday-Friday 8:30AM-4:00PM.
  • If potentially exposed, Cornell University students should contact Cornell Health at 607-255-5155; do not go to an arrival or surveillance testing site.
  • All other students and community members should seek testing at the Cayuga Health Sampling Site.
  • If you need transportation assistance to the Cayuga Health Sampling Site, call 2-1-1 after you have registered and made a testing appointment. 2-1-1 is available 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. to help with transportation options to the Sampling Site.
• Monitor your health for any symptoms of cough, fever, and shortness of breath for 14 days from your ride on August 26. For a full list of symptoms, go to the TCHD website.
• If you seek testing and the result is negative, continue to monitor your health for 14 days from your ride on August 26. If you become symptomatic, seek testing again.

“The potential public exposures that we identified were while the individual was riding the bus. It is important that anyone who was a passenger during this time on route 30 get tested and monitor themselves for symptoms. Everyone must continue to be cautious and consider density, keep distance, wear face coverings, and wash hands well and often to stop the spread of COVID-19,” stated Frank Kruppa, Public Health Director.

“Protecting our riders and employees throughout this pandemic remains our top priority,” said TCAT General Manager Scot Vanderpool. “We are grateful that we have strong partnerships with the Tompkins County Health Department and many of our other local stakeholders all of whom are striving diligently to keep our community safe. Together we continue to require everyone on our buses -- or anywhere in public – to wear face coverings, to self-monitor for symptoms and to stay home and contact medical professionals if they are sick.”

TCAT started implementing a number of safety protocols in March, which the agency continues to refine based on New York State mandates and best practices as advised by public health and industry experts.

• Requiring riders and front-line employees to wear face coverings per New York State executive orders.
• Promoting social distancing by limiting the number of passengers per bus to 25.
• Encouraging good hygiene with the installation of hand sanitizers on all buses.
• Adhering to a strict and daily regimen of bus disinfection of the entire fleet.
• Requiring all employees to self-monitor and report any symptoms, as well as to undergo a temperature check, before they are allowed to start work either in the office or out in public.
• Going fare free to separate riders from drivers, who sit next to the farebox. TCAT will begin charging fares again on Sept. 6 by which time driver shields will be installed to create a physical barrier between the bus operator and riders.
• Communicating to riders and employees the importance of hand washing, social distancing and staying home if they have symptoms of illness.

For local updates and information, check the TCHD website. 

Individuals who have traveled to a state with significant community spread listed on the NYS Travel Advisory must quarantine for 14 days. See an up-to-date list of states on the NYS Travel Advisory webpage. For more information about how to quarantine, refer to the TCHD website.

Everyone can continue to take these steps to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our community:

• Refrain from traveling to states listed in the New York Travel Advisory.
• Keep 6 feet distance between yourself and others when in public.
• Wear a mask at all times in public spaces, especially when 6 feet of distance cannot be maintained. Masks and face coverings must be worn by everyone over age two at all times in public places when 6 feet of distance cannot be maintained. Fines are enforceable for individuals who are in violation of these regulations. Businesses must deny entry to anyone who is not wearing a face covering.
• Non-essential gatherings are limited to 50 people for our region, but must comply with distancing and face covering guidance.
• Wash hands well and often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Avoid close and continued contact with other people not in your household.
• Cover coughs and sneezes.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.

To file a complaint about a business or social gathering go to the TCHD website.