CLEVELAND (WJW) — The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority or RTA rolled out new measures Thursday to protect riders from the COVID-19 or Coronavirus.

Although there are no known cases of the virus in Ohio an RTA spokesperson said the steps are in response to growing concerns over the virus and in an effort to keep both staff members and customers safe.

“We clean our busses every day as it is, we clean our trains regularly, but in this case we’re going to sanitize, and we’re going to do it every 24-hours on the busses and every 72-hours on the trains,”  said Linda Krecic, RTA Spokesperson.

They’ll be using a sanitizing product that was recommended by the CDC and is proven to kill the virus.

Krecic says, not only will they wipe down all touchable surfaces including the ticket machines and handrails, but the bus shelters, rail stations, para-transit vehicles and RTA offices will be sanitized as well.

The janitorial staff will also be disinfecting all touchable surfaces Authority-wide.

“This is not a time to panic, this is not a time to be fearful, this is a time to prepare, this is a time for prevention,” said Krecic, “Our mission is to provide safe, reliable, clean and courteous public transportation.”

The RTA is also reminding all employees and riders to follow CDC guidelines, to wash their hands frequently, and cough or sneeze into the inside of the elbow.

And, if someone has a cold or the flu, they ask that they stay home to prevent spreading the sickness to others.

Krecic said, “Data shows incidents of cold and flu are reduced by 50% by simply washing your hands.”

The RTA will also continue to actively monitor the latest coronavirus developments and adjust plans as needed.

They say, RTA provides 30-million rides annually and will continue working hard to serve Greater Cleveland no matter what happens next, but right now people should feel confident and safe utilizing RTA public transportation.