A Westmoreland County Transit Authority bus driver has tested positive for coronavirus, officials said Wednesday.
Authority Executive Director Alan Blahovec said the driver was last worked Monday and drove an undisclosed route. Transit officials were notified Tuesday about the positive test result and the driver will remain off the job until given medical clearance to return.
“The operator also reported that they were wearing their mask at all times that day. We confirmed that the bus the operator had used on their last workday had undergone disinfectant cleaning after service and all WCTA facilities that the operator used that day were cleaned and disinfected. WCTA management communicated the notification of this employee’s test result to all WCTA employees with instructions on steps they should take,” the authority said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon.
The most recent coronavirus case is the first among transit authority staff and drivers since April, Blahovec said.
Mitigation efforts have been ongoing since the onset of the pandemic in March.
The authority said buses are disinfected daily and drivers are required to wear masks. Passengers are encouraged to wear face coverings but are not required to do so. Riders are asked to practice social distancing on the vehicles and front seats on buses are left vacant to ensure distance between drivers and passengers.
The authority this week started an expanded level of bus service that included additional times and trips on various commuter routes to Pittsburgh and local service through Westmoreland County.
One new route local route through Mt. Pleasant was added as part of the service expansion, officials said.
New schedules with updated times and route information was posted this week on the authority’s website.
