Boston got a taste of how seriously officials are taking the coronavirus pandemic after service for an entire train was pulled.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority took a train out of service on Friday after a passenger spotted a man allegedly licking a southbound Orange Line train at Tufts Medical Center station, spokeswoman Lisa Battiston told the New York Post.
“Transit police were notified of the alleged incident,” she said.
A total of 52 employees at Tufts Medical Center have tested positive for the flu-like virus as of Thursday afternoon, further fueling concerns about the transportation taster.
Officials have not said what part of the train was allegedly licked or how many passengers were on board the train at the time. Massachusetts has had more than 2,400 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, according to a New York Times tracker.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker ordered that all nonessential businesses close this week in order to combat the contagion.
As of Friday afternoon, the United States has had more than 97,000 cases of the coronavirus and more than 1,400 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
