SCAT Bus Driver Tests Positive For Coronavirus: Sarasota County

SARASOTA COUNTY, FL — A Sarasota County Area Transit (SCAT) bus driver tested positive for coronavirus, according to a Sarasota County news release.

The affected driver operated the Route 6 bus Tuesday and Wednesday from 5:15 a.m. to 1:50 p.m., and the Route 40 bus Thursday from 5:20 a.m. to noon.

Route 6 runs from Sarasota Square Mall to the downtown transfer station on Lemon Avenue with stops at Ed Smith Stadium (N. Tuttle Avenue and 12th Street), and along Beneva Road at Fruitville Road, Bee Ridge Road, Clark Road and Gulf Gate Drive.

Route 40 runs from the SCAT administration center at Pinkney Avenue to the downtown transfer station on Lemon Avenue with stops at McIntosh Road at Bee Ridge Road, Weber Street at Beneva Road, Westfield Siesta Key Mall, Sarasota Memorial Hospital and South Orange Avenue and U.S. 41.

The Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County recommends that anyone who rode these routes on those days should monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms.

Mild to severe symptoms include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

These symptoms may appear two to 14 days after exposure to the virus.

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Any passenger that suspects they have been exposed or experiences COVID-19 symptoms should contact their health care provider, DOH-Sarasota or visit one of the free state-run testing sites at 5400 Bradenton Road in Sarasota or the Robert L. Taylor Center at 1845 34th Street in Sarasota, the county said.

SCAT buses are sanitized every night and cleaned throughout the day, and SCAT bus operators have been provided face masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and operational changes.

Riders with COVID-19 systems are asked not to use SCAT services. They have also been required to wear face masks on all SCAT vehicles and at transportation centers since Feb. 11 in accordance with a new federal mandate.

Fares for SCAT and SCAT Plus services are currently suspended to limit passenger interactions. Riders should also enter through the rear doors, practice social distancing and wear masks while using SCAT, the county said.