Valley Metro is enhancing the cleaning regimen for its fleet of buses, light rail and transit vehicles in the wake of the new coronavirus, according to a statement released Wednesday.
The agency said it uses a regularly scheduled cleaning process for its fleet and public spaces. But with the coronavirus, also known a COVID-19, the agency is going further.
“With the advent of COVID-19 in the U.S., we are enhancing the cleaning and disinfecting regimens on public transit,” according to the statement.
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As part of its cleaning regimen, Valley Metro said high-touch areas, such as stanchions, hand rails, seat rails and fareboxes, on buses and the light rail fleet are wiped down each day and disinfected several times a week. Floors are vacuumed and mopped, seats are cleaned and walls are wiped down regularly.
At light rail stations, fare vending machines, handrails and water fountains, call boxes, seats and armrests are also cleaned daily and disinfected, the agency stated.
USA Today reported Thursday that more than 95,700 cases of the new coronavirus have been confirmed worldwide across more than 60 countries, and more than 3,200 people have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
There are at least 162 confirmed cases in the U.S. across 15 states, according to Johns Hopkins, the newspaper reported. Two cases have been reported in Arizona.
In the U.S., 11 people have died after contracting the coronavirus: 10 in Washington state and one in California, according to USA Today. Five of the victims were residents of a nursing home in suburban Seattle. One had previously been aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Valley Metro ramps up cleaning of buses, light rail in wake of the new coronavirus