New York City subway service reduced as city experiences ‘Covid surge’

NYCTA tweeted that service will be reduced from Monday to Thursday as omicron variant sweeps through city

Subway services in New York will be operating on a curtailed schedule this week as coronavirus cases spike throughout the city.

“This Monday through Thursday, trains will run less frequently than usual,” the Transit Authority tweeted Sunday from its account @NYCTSubway. “Like everyone in New York, we’ve been affected by the COVID surge. We’re taking proactive steps to provide the best, most consistent service we can. That means you may wait a little longer for your train.”

It continued: “Reducing scheduled service, we’re able to re-allocate train crews where they’re needed, rather than cancel individual trips. We’re also working quickly to implement New York State’s revised quarantine guidelines for essential workers, which will help with staff shortages.”

Commuters were also urged to check for updates online “before heading out” as transit authorities dealt with issues of “crew availability.”

New York subways were far from the only transportation options affected by the wild spread of omicron, which Dr Anthony Fauci on Monday called “unpredictable.” Flight-tracking website FlightAware counted more than 2,400 cancellations worldwide by Monday afternoon — 884 of them within, into or out of the U.S.

Dr Fauci said the situation was “going to get worse before it gets better.”

“We don’t expect things are going to turn around in a few days to a week. It likely will take much longer than that, but that’s unpredictable,” he said on ABC.

As subway services were reduced on Monday, a New York City mandate took effect requiring nearly all businesses, from multinational corporations to corner grocery stores, to ban unvaccinated employees from the workplace.

New York state reported a record surge in Covid-19 cases on Christmas Eve with 44,431 new Covid cases on Friday, passing Thursday’s record total of 38,835 cases.

The city’s famed New Year’s Eve celebrations have been curtailed, as well, with a crowd limit of 15,000 — well below the usual 58,000 Times Square revellers who gather to watch the ball drop. All onlookers will be required to wear masks and show proof of full vaccination or a negative PCR test if exempted for medical reasons.

“New Yorkers have stepped up tremendously over the past year,” Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted. “There’s a lot to celebrate and the additional safety measures we’re announcing today will keep the fully vaccinated crowd at Times Square safe and healthy as we ring in the New Year.”