NJ Transit Conductor Dies Of Coronavirus; 87 Employees Positive

NORTH JERSEY — An NJ Transit train conductor has died of coronavirus, the agency confirmed on Tuesday. The agency Tweeted a photo Tuesday night of Joe Hansen with three children.

"All of us at NJ TRANSIT mourn the tragic and untimely loss of conductor Joe Hansen from complications related to COVID19," the agency said. "Joe positively impacted many lives as he served customers for more than 20 years. Joe was a well-loved member of the NJT family, and he will be deeply missed."

A rider Tweeted, in response:

One of the kindest people on the RVL, I remember him being extremely kind in the early mornings when I commuted for an internship.
— LIVE- Aildaris (@Aildaris)

NJ Transit Director of Media Relations Jim Smith said Tuesday that that a total of 87 NJ Transit workers have tested positive for the virus, out of 12,000 employees of the transit agency. Of those, 57 are "front-line" employees, such as station agents or bus drivers.

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Many public transit routes have been cut back or operating on a holiday schedule. Ridership is down drastically following state and local officials' directives for residents to stay inside.

In a March 13 release, the transit agency said, "NJ TRANSIT has enhanced its cleaning efforts to include disinfecting vehicles every 24 hours. Hard surface cleaning and disinfecting typically includes handholds, arm rests, seating areas and restrooms. Our enhanced cleaning regimen in stations includes additional disinfecting of frequent customer touchpoints such as ticket vending machines, handrails, door handles. In major stations and terminals, this occurs once every shift."

The agency also announced a webpage updating the agency's cleaning efforts and answering frequently asked questions.

The death came on what the governor said was the state's deadliest day so far, with 275 deaths confirmed in 24 hours. In New Jersey, the number of cases has risen to 47,437 and 1,504 people have died.

Experts say that the novel coronavirus, because it's new, is more lethal and much harder to treat than the flu. More than 15,000 people have died worldwide.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

Here are statewide informational resources:

• NJ COVID-19 Information Hub: https://covid19.nj.gov/
• General COVID-19 questions: 2-1-1
• NJ COVID-19 hotline: (800) 222-1222

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