Metrolinx announced Friday it will reduce GO Transit service in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, while Toronto-area transit users were left with mixed messages about what they should do to protect themselves from the virus.

Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster said GO and UP Express service would be scaled back starting Wednesday, March 18, but gave no specifics. New GO schedules are expected to be posted online Sunday.

Verster said the agency recognizes GO service is “a lifeline for many communities” in the region and Metrolinx will continue to operate service on all corridors, but at reduced frequencies.

He said the agency was in part reacting to a sharp decline in ridership attributed to the outbreak. Concerns about the spread of the deadly virus has prompted school closures across the region and mass cancellations of public events. Some businesses have also asked employees to work from home.

Verster said ridership dropped 10 per cent from normal levels earlier this week, and by Friday had fallen by as much as 40 per cent on some lines.

The CEO said the service reduction was also necessary to protect GO employees from possible exposure to the virus, and keep them healthy enough to continue operating the transit in the long term. As service is reduced some employees will be asked to stay home. Verster said their employment wasn’t in jeopardy.

“Our key consideration is ensuring our services can continue and our employees and customers are safe,” he said.

The TTC said Friday it isn’t planning to follow Metrolinx’s lead and cut back on service. Mississauga’s MiWay also said it will continue regular operation.

Meanwhile on Friday, statements about COVID-19 prevention from a pair of high-ranking medical officials appeared to complicate earlier assurances from the TTC and Toronto Public Health, both of which have maintained in recent weeks that using public transit presented a minimal risk of exposure to the virus.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, said people should consider using public transit during off-peak hours to avoid crowding, while Ontario’s chief medical officer Dr. David Williams recommended the “immediate suspension” of all gatherings of more than 250 people.

Crowds of at least that size are typical on GO and TTC trains and station platforms. A single TTC subway on Line 1 has a capacity of more than 1,400 people.

But Ontario Ministry of Health spokesperson David Jensen said Williams’ recommendation “does not pertain to use of transit.”

“The 250 refers to the number of people being in a single enclosed space,” he said.

Jensen didn’t explain why a transit vehicle would not be considered an enclosed space.

Toronto’s medical officer of health Dr. Eileen de Villa, advised last week that residents should continue to use public transit as usual. She didn’t give a definitive answer when asked at a press conference Friday whether riders should avoid taking the TTC at rush hour.

“I recognize that many people do need to go out and about and commute, and oftentimes that means using public transit. And so we ask people to engage in responsible behaviour” such as regularly washing hands and staying home if they feel sick, she said.

“That’s what will make places like our public transit system safe for people to use, as we want to continue to have our city function as best we can under these unparalleled circumstances.”

TTC spokesperson Stuart Green said the agency had no position on the federal directive to avoid transit during peak periods.

“We are leaving public health advice of that kind to public health professionals,” he said.

Green said so far the TTC hasn’t observed a ridership decline that could be attributed to COVID-19. But there has been a dip in demand that’s typical leading into March Break and “we are expecting fewer rides as families make decisions about their plans over the next three weeks.”

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Green said “the situation is dynamic” and the TTC will do an assessment “once we have the actual numbers.”

A prolonged decrease in ridership could hurt the TTC’s bottom line. The agency relies on fare revenue to make up roughly two-thirds of its $2-billion annual operating budget.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ontario jumped by 20 on Friday, to a total of 79.

Ben Spurr is a Toronto-based reporter covering transportation. Reach him by email at bspurr@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @BenSpurr

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