As coronavirus cases rise among Staten Island Ferry workers, service to be reduced for 2 weeks – SILive.com

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Rush hour riders of the Staten Island Ferry can expect to see reduced service during their upcoming commute.

On Wednesday, the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that the Staten Island Ferry will provide reduced service every 20 minutes during the morning (6 to 9 a.m.) and afternoon (4 to 8 p.m.) rush hours for the next two weeks.

From St. George, the Staten Island Ferry would typically provide service every 15 minutes from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

From Whitehall, the Staten Island Ferry would typically provide service every 15 minutes from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The Staten Island Ferry will continue to run every 30 minutes throughout the rest of the day, though the department advised that some overnight cancellations may occur.

A DOT representative said that the service changes are a result of an uptick in coronavirus (COVID-19) cases among Staten Island Ferry crew, but was unable to provide a specific number of workers who are currently out sick.

New York Citys seven-day average coronavirus positivity rate has been steadily increasing over the past month, nearly doubling from 7.98% on June 13 to 15.1% on July 13, according to city data.

During that time, the seven-day average number of daily coronavirus cases increased from 2,931 per day on June 13 to 4,049 per day on July 13.

In the advisory, the department reminded Staten Island Ferry passengers that face masks are required at all times when within the terminals and onboard the boats, despite the federal mask mandate for public transportation being voided in April.

In recent months, the DOT has been forced to run modified service numerous times, particularly during afternoon and overnight hours, due to personnel issues limiting the departments ability to adequately staff the boats.

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As coronavirus cases rise among Staten Island Ferry workers, service to be reduced for 2 weeks - SILive.com