King County, Wash., planning to up its sanitizing game on light rail cars following first coronavirus death; China now using thermal scanners at stations

Sound Transit

Now that the coronavirus is behind one death in King County, Wash., officials are working to sanitize public transit in the hopes ridership does not suffer a decline.

Washington State is getting ready to test people for the virus, and transit riders might be adjusting their schedules to better protect themselves. Some will be taking advantage of employers allowing them to work from home, while others will continue with their daily ritual and take extra precaution. The number of coronavirus cases in King County is expected to go up.

Officials will continue to sanitize light rail and regional train cars, and are expected to remove unsanitary cars to sanitize them.

People are being told to stay home and “self-isolate,” which could significantly drop the number of daily riders.

Thermal scanners have been installed in several stations in major Chinese cities. The scanners take the temperature of riders. A fever is one of the first symptoms of the coronavirus, which is believed to have originated in China. Stations also have isolation rooms for those who are caught with a high temperature. Companies also are updating the temperature detection system to include facial recognition.

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