Bus driver who worked three Fort Worth routes tests positive for coronavirus
A Trinity Metro bus driver tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
The driver operated buses on routes 20 Handley, 21 Boca Raton and 25 Crosstown, the Fort Worth transit authority said in a statement. The person, who was not identified, was last at work on March 21, driving in the afternoon and night.
The driver has been self-quarantined since March 22 with mild symptoms.
According to Trinity Metro, the driver operated a Route 20 bus on March 13 and 20, a Route 21 bus March 9-11 and then again March 16-18, and a Route 25 bus on March 7, 14 and 21.
Any passengers who rode routes driven by the operator between March 7 and 21 should monitor themselves for symptoms, contact their healthcare provider and self-quarantine to avoid possibly exposing others, Trinity Metro said.
The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth said Tuesday evening in a statement Trinity Metro bus drives and train operators could be tested through the off-campus testing site that opened March 23 for Tarrant County first responders. The drive-through testing site is a partnership between HSC Fort Worth, Catalyst Health Network, the Fort Worth Fire Department and the Moncrief Cancer Institute.
As of Tuesday, 166 first responders have been tested for COVID-19 at the site.
The novel coronavirus causes a serious respiratory infection called called COVID-19, which is similar to the flu. Symptoms include a fever, cough, tiredness and difficulty breathing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The transit authority has taken extra steps to increase the cleaning frequency of high-touch areas like door knobs, railings, seats and benches with cleaning throughout each shift. Buses, vans, TEXRail trains and other vehicles are sanitized daily, the agency said.
At least three Fort Worth police officers who had worked in the same unit have tested positive for the virus, the department said Tuesday.
Tarrant County confirmed 20 new coronavirus cases Tuesday, for a total of 175 cases. The county has another 98 provisional cases, and eight patients have recovered.
More than 50% of the cases (91 patients) contracted the virus through community spread, including 76 patients from an unknown source, according to the Tarrant County Public Health Department.
This story was originally published March 31, 2020 at 3:38 PM.
