Cold rides: TTC opening windows on busses draws ire of some customers
Posted December 20, 2021 8:37 pm.
Last Updated December 21, 2021 9:08 am.
You might want to bundle up as you prepare to head out on a TTC bus as windows on the red rocket are now open.
Since this past weekend, the TTC said it would begin opening its windows on its many busses to circulate air to make passengers feel safe in light of COVID-19.
Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health is one of many health officials declaring Omicron airborne, leading Health Canada to issue a video offering advice on several ways people can improve ventilation in their homes. The TTC has taken the matter into its own hands with hopes of mitigating concerns for customers.
Starting this weekend, windows on #TTC buses will be open when the vehicles go into service.
Yes, it may be cooler on board, but on the smaller vehicles, air circulation/ventilation is key.
Bundle up, mask up, stay home if sick, be kind to each other and stay safe out there.— TTC Media Relations ???????????????? (@TTCNewsroom) December 18, 2021
“Ventilation is a key way to help prevent the spread of COVID-19,” Health Canada said in a recently uploaded video.
Several people took to Twitter to voice complaints about the new measure implemented on TTC busses. Some went as far as to say they were worried about contracting hypothermia.
“Just wanted to let you know about the TTC busses and their windows. I froze all evening on my commute home. I understand the motivation to keep people safe, but at what cost? It’s winter,” one TTC user said in an email to CityNews.
In a contrasting opinion, another TTC rider said they enjoyed the idea of proper airflow in a packed bus.
“Whatever works. I felt a lot safer this morning,” they told CityNews this weekend.
TTC Customer Service and spokesperson Stuart Green addressed the concerns, with Green simply noting “these are not normal times.”
“We are working on a revamped campaign that will highlight our measures and remind people to do things they should already know how to do after 20 months, like wearing a mask and staying home if sick,” Green said in one tweet.
“According to virologists, of which I am not one, improved airflow and ventilation are the best courses of action for enclosed settings.”
Researchers said last week that compared to the Delta variant, Omicron multiplies itself 70 times more quickly in tissues that line airway passages.
Public Health Ontario said recently that preliminary epidemiological data from South Africa, the UK and Hong Kong — and updated modelling data — suggest that Omicron may be more transmissible than the Delta variant.
“The current risk of Omicron importation in Ontario is high, and the risks of further transmission, increased disease severity, reinfection, or breakthrough infection in Ontario is moderate with a high degree of uncertainty,” the province’s health unit wrote.
Without further intervention, the science table’s modelling suggests Ontario is poised to see more than 10,000 new daily cases by Christmas. Even with a circuit breaker, the science table said the daily case count could approach record levels by New Year’s Day.
