A shortage of workers is leading Amtrak to limit California Zephyr service to the Chicago-Denver portion of its route, effective today. The Zephyr becomes the first of Amtrak’s long distance trains to see a change in service because of the coronavirus outbreak.
An email to Amtrak employees says a worker on the route has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, leading to a 14-day self-quarantine for other coworkers. Today’s eastbound Zephyr will be turned at Reno, Nev., with passengers continuing by bus; this afternoon’s westbound departure from Chicago will terminate in Denver. The train scheduled to depart Emeryville, Calif., on Monday will instead originate in Denver, with no alternate transportation provided, according to the Amtrak Alerts Twitter feed.
Paul, It depends on whether you use a waterproof ink when printing it. Also remember washing is legal laundering it is not.
Amtrak contacted OBS crew. Still have not contacted T&E crew on board with sick employee. As a family member of a T&E crew member this lack of due care by Amtrak is careless at best
I was tested at a drive-through testing facility earlier today. A true military operation complete with state and local police. If you previously weren’t concerned or freaked out about this virus, keep your eyes closed should you decide to get similarly tested. Not sure if Hollywood got it right in the movies or if the local authorities are duplicating what they’ve seen – truly unnerving.
For all that’s written about the pandemic, there’s something I just don’t understand —- this: if the test is for the antibodies, that could be anyone or everyone. (And that number will increase each week.) For every ten people reading this blog, two or four or six or eight might be carrying the antibodies and not know it. So if my limited information is correct, the entire world would need to be shut down and never reopen.
For example I have heard it said that just about everyne in the medical care system might test positive at some point in the near future. They won’t be quaranteed and their industry is not going to shut down.
What’s needed is a better understanding on who might transmit the disease – which might be a far smaller number than the people who test positive.
Should money be washed?
Thanks as well, I think we have all seen pictures of the swab being taken from the nostril at one point or another yet getting some sensible meaningful info out of the news media is frustrating.
It seems like Amtrak is going with their normal back-up plan without thinking it all the way through.
EVERYCLICK.COM
Passengers are being confined to a bus; instead of being able to spread out on a more spacious train? That does not seem like a very healthy thing to do, to me.
DOUGLAS – Thanks for the information! I learned more from your four sentences than from the 24/7 coverage by the news media or from talking to friends and family!
Charles; the covid-19 swab test (the current test being administered to check for an active infection) is specific for the live virus in the respiratory system, not for antibodies. That is why the swap sample is typically taken from the back of the sinus system. A blood test will show if antibodies are present in individuals that have recovered from the virus. The antibodies found in the blood samples of recovered patients is what is used to help develop a vaccine.
There are only so many people available at the Salt Lake crew base to run trains. Since they crew the Zephyr in both directions out of Salt Lake City this does not allow the train to be run daily. Personally I don’t see why the Zephyr could not run as far west as Grand Jct. as that is a Denver crew. However, seeing the very light loadings all modes of transportation are experiencing, it may not be worth the cost of running the train beyond Denver. Amtrak has mechanical personnel already in Denver. Running to Grand Jct. would require mechanical to work from there with the associated lodging and meals expenses.One suggestion I agree with in aconversation with an Amtrak employee is that all LD trains should be cut back from daily to maybe tri-weekly for this time period.
Thats fairly encouraging that it took all this time for an Amtrak employee to get the virus, given the number of passengers they haul and that they are exclusively domestic………and still only one in operations.
Crammed on a bus. Yep—that will
Slow the spread. I see I’m not the first to notice this…
After Anderson’s recent town hall comments, this might be the unceremonious end of the Zephyr.