WELLNESS
MTA chief to cops: Be ‘better’ at wearing masks on public transit
BY JULIA MORO
For the 20th anniversary of
the attack on the World Trade
Center, the New York Blood
Center (NYBC) is hosting a
monthlong series of blood
drives.
The NYBC said that on
9/11, New Yorkers showed
up covered in dust to pop-up
donation centers across the
city to donate blood. Now, the
NYBC wants to hold needed
blood drives in remembrance
to that time.
“It’s been 20 years since the
twin towers fell and New York
will never forget what happened
that day or the lives we
lost. We are so grateful to the
community organizations who
have stepped up for the 20th
anniversary — the donations
made today will surely save
lives tomorrow,” said Andrea
Cefarelli, senior executive director
at NYBC.
The NYBC said this series
comes at an important time, as
the blood supply in New York
has dropped in recent weeks.
“The region is currently
experiencing a shortage and
we need more New Yorkers
to show up for each other and
visit a blood drive near them,”
Cefarelli said.
Blood drives were be held
Tuesday, Sept. 14, from noon to
6 p.m. at 71-01 Parsons Blvd. in
Flushing; on Wednesday, Sept.
15, from noon to 6 p.m. at 168-
02 91st Ave. in Jamaica; and on
Friday, Sept. 17, from noon to 6
p.m. at the Shops at Atlas Park
in Glendale.
Peter DeLucia Jr., the general
manager of the Shops at
Atlas Park, said he is proud to
be involved in the series to remember
the lives lost in 9/11.
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.22 COM | SEPT. 17 - SEPT. 23, 2021
“We are proud to support
the New York Blood Center,
New York State Senator Addabbo
and Councilman Holden
and their efforts to remember
and honor the 20th anniversary
of Sept. 11,” DeLucia said.
“With over 125 events hosted,
Atlas Park and its shoppers
have a long track record of
supporting the community
through its blood drives and
we look forward to continuing
to open our doors to make an
impact on the community we
serve.”
The NYBC said donating
blood is safe and only takes
an hour. Blood centers won’t
accept donations if you are experiencing
a cold, sore throat,
respiratory infection or flulike
symptoms.
Holden said he is proud to
co-sponsor this blood drive series
with Addabbo.
“Donating blood is always
important since blood can’t
be synthesized and there’s no
substitute for it,” Holden said.
“But as we reflect on the anniversary
of 9/11, it has a special
meaning. What better way
to honor the first responders
who rushed toward the danger
that morning than to give
blood and save lives ourselves?
You may very well save the life
of an injured first responder.”
Donors can schedule appointments
by calling 800-933-
2566 or visiting nybc.org.
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
MTA’s chief wants police
to be better at wearing face
masks, the transit bigwig said
during a public meeting last
week.
“We’re keeping to push the
message out,” said acting Metropolitan
Transportation Authority
chairperson and CEO
Janno Lieber during a public
Sept. 9 meeting of the Permanent
Citizens Advisory Committee
(PCAC). “I would like it
if the police themselves were a
little better.”
The PCAC, which is the
MTA’s rider advocacy group,
held the meeting in a hybrid
format, virtually via Zoom
and in-person at MTA headquarters
at 2 Broadway in
Lower Manhattan. The acting
mass transit leader prefaced
his comments at the public
gathering as being “off the
record” — an agreement that
requires consent by all parties
— noting he didn’t want to
ruffle NYPD’s feathers.
“I’m dealing with it. We
have to deal with it in an appropriate
manner — can’t just,
you know, get into another
huge fight with the NYPD,” he
said.
Senior MTA spokesman
Tim Minton said there was
an agreement “by those in the
room” with reporters about
the off-the-record nature of
his statements. However, no
agreement was given by participants
tuning in via Zoom,
including amNewYork Metro.
The meeting’s recording is
also slated to be uploaded to
YouTube in the future, according
to the PCAC.
“Janno Lieber made a comment
that was agreed by those
in the room to be off the record
about his hope that police officers
will join him in wearing
masks while in the transit
system,” Minton said in a
statement. “Of course, as he’s
said publicly many times, he
expects MTAPD officers, NYC
Transit workers and railroad
employees to wear masks as
required while on duty in public
areas, and appreciates our
NYPD partners doing what
they can to help keep New
Yorkers safe.”
The statements come weeks
after another senior MTA official,
New York City Transit
Chief Customer Officer Sarah
Meyer, pleaded with enforcement
officers in the city to
wear masks, including the
MTA’s own Police Department.
“We’re going to continue
to work with our partners
and ask our friends at MTA
PD, NYPD and other enforcement
agencies to please wear
their masks in the system,”
said Meyer at a July 19 committee
meeting. “There’s nothing
more important from my
perspective than seeing that
happen.”
Riders have documented
police officers repeatedly not
wearing masks or wearing
them incorrectlyin the subways,
including one cop in
Queenswho taunted a straphanger
for pointing it out.
MTA follows federal guidance
by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
that mandates people wear
masks while riding public
transit, and cops can fine
New Yorkers without face
coverings $50.
“We expect our officers to
comply with the requirement
that masks are worn while on
trains and in the transit system,”
said NYPD spokesperson
Sergeant Edward Riley in
a statement.
Riders overall have been
complying with the mask
mandates on subways and
buses, with Lieber attributing
the success to the omnipresent
MTA ad campaigns.
“Those yellow campaigns
were great. Our ‘how to wear a
mask’ campaigns were great,
and it really shows the MTA
can do effective marketing,”
Lieber said. “Let’s give people
credit. People are complying.
It’s been a long time, being respectful
of each other, most of
the time, and we just need to
get through this and encourage
people to comply as much
as possible.”
Most recent MTA stats
show mask compliance among
subway riders was 87% between
Aug. 23 to Sept. 3 and
93% on the buses from Aug. 9
to 20. The figures have been
trending back up on both
modes of transit after a slight
dip during June and July.
In August, the number of
riders ejected from trains or
stations sank to the lowest
level in almost a year, and officers
doled out zero fines for
violations, The City recently
reported.
An MTA PD officer at Grand Central Terminal.
Photo by Mike Segar/Reuters
Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
New York Blood Center hosting
monthlong series of blood drives