Well, that’s one way to socially distance during the novel coronavirus outbreak.
A shocking video was shared to Twitter on Wednesday by social media user @progressiveact, showing a New York City man hanging from the side of a moving subway.
“This is crazy,” the tweet reads.
“Guy riding outside the train hanging on window … The BS us workers have to deal with during this pandemic.”
A mask-wearing subway rider inside the car appears to be reasoning with the man hanging onto the window, encouraging him to “hold on” as the subway goes over a bridge.
A Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) spokesperson deemed the behaviour “ridiculously dangerous.”
“This is ridiculously dangerous behaviour at any time, and in the middle of a pandemic it also distracts police officers from efforts to keep people safe, spread out and healthy,” Tim Minton told the New York Post.
“That’s unacceptable.”
The NYPD Transit Bureau, according to the Post, is investigating the situation that police officials said occurred on the 2 train in the Bronx at an unknown time.
New York State has been hit hard by COVID-19, with more than 44,000 confirmed cases of the virus and 519 deaths as of Friday.
On Wednesday, a makeshift morgue was set up outside Bellevue Hospital, and the city’s police, their ranks dwindling as more fall ill, were told to patrol nearly empty streets to enforce social distancing.
Public health officials hunted down beds and medical equipment and put out a call for more doctors and nurses for fear the number of sick will explode in a matter of weeks, overwhelming hospitals the way the virus did in Italy and Spain.
New York University offered to let its medical students graduate early so that they could join the battle.
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Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
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