Bad news for the East Coast Elites.
Amtrak announced that it will be suspending non-stop Acela service between Washington, D.C., and New York City for the next few months due to decreased demand caused by panic over the coronavirus.
“As we are experiencing some reduced demand for our service, we are making temporary adjustments to our schedule, such as removing train cars or cancelling trains when there is a convenient alternative with a similar schedule that will have minimal impact to customers,” Amtrak said in a statement released Friday.
CNBC News reported that the “Acela nonstop service will be temporarily suspended starting Tuesday, March 10 until Tuesday, May 26,” but passengers can still take the slow northeast regional trains up and down the east coast. The company also “waived change fees on all existing or new reservations made before April 30,” the outlet added.
“While there are no current travel restrictions on Amtrak, we understand customers may have concerns,” the company said in its statement. “As a valued customer, we are waiving change fees on all existing or new reservations made before April 30, 2020.”
In an effort to ensure a reduced risk of catching the virus on one of Amtrak’s trains, the company listed several ways it is actively working to create a safe environment:
Enhancing cleaning protocols: We have increased the frequency of cleaning service on our trains and at our stations to multiple times a day, and in some cases, on an hourly basis. We have increased the use of disinfectants to wipe down handrails, doorknobs, handles and surfaces.
Increasing supplies of antibacterial products: We have increased the quantity of sanitizers and disinfectant wipes available for customers and employees throughout our trains and stations.
Reinforcing good hygiene practices: We are regularly sharing with employees and customers best practices on ways to protect against communicable diseases.
Amtrak, like seemingly every other business and association in America now, also included ways to protect oneself from the coronavirus:
Wash hands frequently with soap and water – and for 20 seconds. If you can’t wash your hands, use hand sanitizers.
When sneezing or coughing, use tissues and promptly dispose of them or cover your mouth with your sleeve or elbow.
If you are feeling ill, please stay home until feeling better.
As of this writing, 437 people in the United States have confirmed cases of the coronavirus, according to a database compiled by the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering. Seventeen people have died in America and from what we know, the deaths were elderly people or those with other medical issues. The average person should not panic over getting the virus, as they have almost no risk of dying from it. We don’t need to travel to stores with lots of other people and their germs to stockpile water and toilet paper. This is not a hurricane.
The media and their Democratic counterparts, however, have sowed panic throughout the country in an effort to hurt President Donald Trump, whose administration has been handling the coronavirus as well as any other president – Democrat or Republican – would have. Just don’t be gross, and you should live.