HOUSTON – Two METRO employees, including a bus driver, have tested positive for the coronavirus, COVID-19 the agency announced in a press release Sunday.
“We received confirmation of the positive results for both employees yesterday, March 29,” said Jerome Gray, Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Director for METRO
The first employee works in the METROLift dispatch area and was last on the job on March 26. That employee does not interact with the public.
The second employee is a bus operator and was last on the job on March 25.
METRO says the bus operator drove the 412 Greenlink Circulator route from 6 a.m. to 2:17 p.m. on the following days; March 9,10, 11,12, 13, 16, 17,18,19, 20 and 23.
The operator also drove the 247 Fuqua Park & Ride from 6:18 a.m. to 9:17 a.m. on March 24 and 25.
METRO says they are notifying fellow employees who may have come in contact with the dispatcher and bus driver, but says they are still investigating how many passengers rode with the bus driver and who they are. They are working with public health officials to identify and notify passengers.
“That’s something we’re are trying to pinpoint and figure out. You have to keep in mind there are a number of routes run in the Park and Ride and Greenlink Circulator, so it’s going to take a lot of time and due diligence to try to find out,” Gray said.
METRO says if you traveled on one of the routes driven by the bus operator in the last 14 days, you should:
- Monitor yourself for possible symptoms
- Contact your health care provider as soon as you develop symptoms
- Self-isolate to avoid possibly exposing others
- Stop using public transportation
METRO says it has enhanced the cleaning and disinfecting of its buses. The buses used for the routes driven by infected bus driver have also been temporarily removed from service for additional cleaning.