Governor Announces A-Symptomatic Testing for Transit Workers

IB ImageAPRIL 25 — Transit workers can now get tested for COVID-19 even if they don’t have the symptoms, Gov. Cuomo said.

First responders, healthcare workers and essential workers, including transit workers, are now eligible under new state protocols, Cuomo said during his daily press conference Saturday. The state still lacks the capacity to do testing on demand for the general public but is opening it up to select groups of workers, he said.

 

The state will also begin making the antibody testing available to transit workers, Cuomo said.

There are two types of tests: one to determine if someone has COVID-19, and another to determine whether or not someone had the virus and recovered. Experts believe once someone has recovered their bodies have developed antibodies protecting against reinfection.

Cuomo specifically singled out Transport Workers Union Local 100 and its members working for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for praise.

“We’re also going to do significant anti-body testing in downstate New York with those front-line transit workers,” Cuomo said. “People have been working for the MTA…TWU members; They’ve kept the city operational. You need those buses and the subway.  If you want the hospitals running, if you want to have the grocery stores running, you have to get those employees to work. The MTA, the buses, the subway, they did that for us, God Bless them, the MTA, the transit workers.”

As more information becomes available, Local 100 will post it on our Facebook page and website.

"We've been urging the government and the MTA to make testing available to all transit workers as soon as possible, so this is a very positive step forward," Local 100 President Tony Utano said. "Of course, we wanted this development to come earlier in this crisis. It's been incredibly frustrating. But we are getting testing before millions of others in New York because we are extremely important in this fight against the virus."

The MTA had previously arranged for transit workers to be tested for the coronavirus by Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care. Northwell has 52 locations throughout the region and are open 8 am. To 8 p.m. weekdays and 9 am to 5 pm on weekends. For information on testing by Northwell go to: http://gohealthuc.com