New York City Subway to Close First Time in History Tuesday Night Amid COVID-19 - Cuomo

NEW YORK (Sputnik) - The New York City subway system will be shut down on Tuesday night for the first time in history in order to disinfect its cars for the duration of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a press briefing.

"Tonight, we are going to shut down the subway for the first time in history," Cuomo said on Tuesday. "Why? You have to disinfect subway cars."

Last week Cuomo announced that all subway stations across New York City will be closed from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The move to stop running an all-time subway service was driven by concerns that the system has become unsanitary as homeless people seek shelter in the trains.

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority said in a press release it would deploy 344 new buses overnight to continue moving passengers.

It added that as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the subway ridership has dropped by approximately 92 percent.