Sunday morning rail news:
— Canada is restricting domestic travel by passengers showing signs of the COVID-19 virus, such as fever, coughing, or difficulty breathing. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the rules Saturday; they go into effect Monday at noon. The Canadian Press reports that under the order issued by Transport Canada, VIA Rail Canada, other intercity rail operators, and airlines will have to screen passengers for symptoms, asking health questions and looking for visible signs of illness. Anyone showing symptoms will be barred from travel for 14 days or until they can present a medical certificate confirming the symptoms are not related to COVID-19. Commuter rail and bus operations are not included.
— In Rhode Island, members of the National Guard are now questioning travelers arriving on Amtrak trains, and by airplanes and car, to enforce a 14-day quarantine on individuals arriving in that state from New York, a COVID-19 hot spot. Police are pulling over cars with New York license plates or commercial certification, and along with National Guard forces, will go door-to-door seeking arriving New Yorkers to inform them of the quarantine, the Westerly Sun reports. The Hill reports New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will sue if the restrictions are not lifted, but said he believed he and Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo could work the issue out. Both are Democrats.
— Patrick Foye, CEO of New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority, has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus and is now isolated at home. A statement from the MTA says Foye was last in the MTA offices on Wednesday and was asymptomatic, then worked at home Thursday and Friday. The agency says he is “feeling good and maintaining his full schedule.” With New York a hot spot for virus cases, the MTA has been hit hard. Two of its workers died of the virus last week, and the number of employees who have tested positive jumped from 52 to 156 between Tuesday and Thursday, the New York Daily News reports. The agency says another 1,181 workers had been quarantined as of Thursday because of exposure to people who tested positive or displayed symptoms of the virus.
— South Florida’s Tri-Rail, one of the few remaining commuter railroads which had been operating on regular schedules, has reduced service as of Saturday and has also suspended fare collection. Weekday operations will see nine round trips operating at 2-hour intervals; weekend service includes six round trips on 3-hour intervals. New schedules are available here.
— Updated at 11:25 a.m. CDT with MTA information.
everyclick.com
Whatever happened to the US Constitution? What about the Bill of Rights? Where is the clause that says the rights herein guaranteed are not guaranteed if there is a health emergency? What kind of precedents are being set here which might be applied next time we have a bad flu season? This troubles me more for the long run than the immediate panic.
Well said John Rice. Well said.
Cuomo got his wish, instead of just NY’ers, now she extended to all the other 49 states that might try to enter Rhode Island…good job, brainless Gov.
No John, as an epidemiologist, the action is not an effective public health response at this point– it appears to be a political response by a governor well behind the 8 ball. Had they done this 3 weeks ago and shut down all travel from everywhere that would have been justified. But Covid-19 is already exploding in Florida and most other states. (Indeed Louisiana may be having the fastest growth rate right now and they aren’t stopping them)
Now they are putting hard working women and men at risk of infection doing something that at this point will have very little effect. Better to put them to work building field hospitals, helping tracking down close contacts of those infected, than possibly holding up delivery of valuable mask, PPE, ventilators and other supplied
A bit of levity…what do you call a Dick in uniform? A: No longer under-cover.
The bottom line is that to “:Balkanize” the USA is another symptom of those who hate democracy. In due time these precipitous actions will die a well-deserved demise. Interstate commerce will trump, as always.
” Police are pulling over cars with New York license plates or commercial certification, and along with National Guard forces, will go door-to-door seeking arriving New Yorkers to inform them of the quarantine, “
Florida has the borders at I-95 and I-10 controlled as well. Anyone who contains NY or NJ residency has to submit to a COVID-19 test.
Folks, this isn’t about ones civil rights, this is about public health.
If people are trying to escape a hot spot, and end up exporting to create another one, they have done their fellow citizens a disservice.
So to Cuomo, I say file a lawsuit, go for it. Try and get an injunction under these circumstances. Tell your people to shelter in place like everyone else and weather the storm.