A Toronto infection control physician says there is no evidence in Canada that travelling on public transit increases the chances of contracting novel coronavirus.

While Dr. Alon Vaisman, an infection control physician at University Health Network, applauded the extra measures being taken by the TTC and GO Transit to clean their buses and trains, he says the likelihood of someone getting the COVID-19 during their daily commute is already very low.

“Things that increase risk is having face-to-face contact, having surfaces where the virus does not easily die and areas that are not easy to clean,” he said.

“Right now, there isn’t much of a concern, because there hasn’t been a single transmission that’s unrelated to (overseas) travel,” he said. “Riding on a GO Train from Ajax to downtown, is very low risk at this point.”

He said if cases start popping up in the community then exposure during daily commute may become more of a concern.

“If a bus or subway is not being cleaned at all, then that increases the risk,” he said. “It’s hard for me to say that it increases it by this much, or that much.”

Vaisman said the vast number of cases documented are of people who have travelled overseas and if it was transmitted, it was from direct contact.

“We have not seen a single Canadian who acquired” the illness by travelling on a bus, train or by using the subway, he said.

“That kind of tells us something about what’s going on,” he said.

A passenger who later tested positive for COVID-19 travelled on a GO bus from Pearson airport to Richmond Hill last week. The other passengers were contacted and the bus was cleaned with an anti-microbial cleaner as an extra precaution.

“We will see if anything comes out of that,” he said, adding that it’s unlikely more cases will arise as a result.

He said coronaviruses are transmitted predominantly through droplets, which means that coughing and sneezing leads to the suspension of particles in the air, that then quickly fall to the ground.

It all comes down to the amount of contact commuters are having with an infected person.

Someone touching those surfaces then putting their hands in their eyes, mouth or nose, increases the likelihood of infection. That’s why constant handwashing is critical to general disease prevention, he said.

RELATED STORIES Canada Transit workers seek protection after passenger tests positive for novel coronavirus

Hospitals tend to avoid surfaces that are hard to clean such as carpets, Vaisman says, adding that it’s good protocol to clean crevices, cloth seating and carpeted areas throughout the transit system.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

“That’s going to be a different risks versus a subway where you’re have more concentration of people face-to-face,” he said.

He said the move by Metrolinx to install hand sanitizers for GO Transit buses and stations is a good measure to promote good hygiene habits that reduce risk.

“Part of that is showing the public that they are taking it seriously,” he said

Jason Miller is a breaking news reporter based in Toronto. Reach him on email: jasonmiller@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @millermotionpic

Read more about: