TORONTO -- A second person who has tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) used a GO bus to travel from Pearson International Airport to Richmond Hill Centre prior to their diagnosis.
Metrolinx said they were informed Saturday night that a passenger, who has since tested positive for the virus, boarded a GO bus on March 2 around 10:25 p.m.
The passenger was symptomatic at the time, Metrolinx said, and was wearing a surgical mask throughout the trip.
“She sat in accessibility seating, not near any others and had minimal contact with our driver who has been notified and spoken to public health. The bus was relatively empty for trip and public health officials do not require passenger info as the risk is very low,” Metrolinx said
The transit agency said that the bus had already been disinfected with a long-acting anti-microbial solution and is thoroughly cleaned nightly.
The decision to disinfect the bus came after another woman who tested positive for COVID-19 boarded a route 40 GO bus at the airport on Feb. 26, also heading to Richmond Hill Centre.
A spokesperson for Metrolinx said at the time the news “wasn’t unexpected” as more than 300,000 people use GO Transit every day.
Twenty-nine people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in Ontario.
