METRO Heightens Safeguards to Protect Against COVID-19

HOUSTON, TX - METRO is taking more aggressive measures to protect passengers and employees from the spread of COVID-19 (the coronavirus). Customers traveling by local bus and METRORail will see signs of additional safeguards put in place to support public health officials' recommendations.

METRO staff installed hundreds of orange mesh fencing material on local buses to assure an appropriate social distance between bus operators and passengers. This is in addition to the required rear-door boarding and exiting put in place last month, as well as a reduction in seating availability by 50 percent.

METRO is also supplying bus and rail operators as well as METRO Police Officers with face masks and gloves. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has acknowledged face masks could provide some benefit in preventing the spread of the disease.

Health care experts say one of the first symptoms of COVID-19 is usually a cough or fever; so, METRO has started checking the temperatures of all employees daily while at work. Those with even a low-grade fever will be sent home to recover and advised to contact their health care provider.

METRO is continuing its daily rigorous cleaning schedule and is bringing in even more workers to disinfect buses during midday. The Authority continues to pay special attention to surfaces frequently touched by the public.

Connecting essential workers to essential jobs, and doing so safely, remains METRO's focus during these challenging times. And we will continue to share frequent updates with the community while providing this public service. You can find more information on ridemetro.org on our COVID-19 Response page.