Varney: Mass transit social distancing will hold up a full return to work

FOX Business’ Stuart Varney, in his latest “My Take,” argues that social distancing will hold back returning to work from coronavirus in big cities like New York, where workers are dependent on mass transit.

“No city in America depends on mass transit like New York,” he said. “Getting 8 million people to work on buses and subways is tough at any time. It's going to be almost impossible now. This is true in cities all over the country, and the biggest problem is social distancing.”

Varney asked, how will buses and trains run during rush hour when people need to be standing six feet apart? At the very least, he said, it’ll hold up the “full return” to work.

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“Frankly, it's hard to see mass transit bringing all those office workers back,” he said. “You can't pack 'em like before.”

According to New York’s plan, Varney said buses are allowed to “sail right past you” if capacity is “full,” and there’s a possibility that subway stations may be shut down if too many riders congregate.

“And, everyone has to wear a mask all the time,” he said. “How's that going to work? This is New York! In the summer!”

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Varney said every city has a mass transit system and will ultimately face the same challenges. He argued that standing six feet apart “diminishes the efficiency of mass transit."

“You can't get workers into work fast and on time, the economy's recovery is delayed and the cities take yet another hit,” he said. “I am not arguing against social distancing. The authorities tell us it helps stop the spread of the virus. Keeping us apart for many months to come brings huge problems.”

Varney said maybe cities will experience more “shift work” or rush hour will disappear completely or more and more people will work from home.

“Either way, the cities are taking another hit,” he said.

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