BOSTON (WHDH) - The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority began taking the temperatures of employees at the Cabot Garage on Wednesday in an attempt to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak announced in a letter to colleagues that this new health initiative is starting with bus operations and will soon be rolled out to other operating departments.
Workers with a temperature lower than 100 degrees Fahrenheit will be allowed to report to their shift. Anyone with a temperature above 100 degrees will be asked to leave immediately and are encouraged to call their work partners, notify their supervisor or manager, and contact their medical provider.
A screening area has been set up on a bus to ensure privacy for the employees and medical staff.
The first screening location was set up at the Cabot Garage because it is one of the MBTA’s largest facilities. The second is expected to be set up at the Charlestown Garage.
This precaution is being put into place after 18 MBTA workers tested positive for the coronavirus.
Those infected with the virus included one heavy-rail motor person, 10 bus operators, one streetcar motor person, one railyard motor person, one bus inspector, one subway supervisor, one fair equipment technician, one construction division inspector, and one rail repairer.
https://twitter.com/MBTA/status/1245387997790552064
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