Rest areas and Covid-19

Look at all these nasty ##### who hack lougies and blow their noses in the sinks.. I can only imagine the bugs and bacteria in those bathrooms at rest areas and truck stops..I am improvising. The toilet bucket is working just fine. It's just not worth the risk right now. Also ##### baths are the way to go if yall know what that is.

 

Confirmed. They had porta potties set up at the rest stops while I was on 76/276.

 

And all the "good buddies" didn't have anywhere to stop and blink their lights.

 

Always wear rubber surgical gloves from now on!

 

Yes, and those HAVE to be a more sanitary option.

 

Some drivers use those on fuel pumps even without a nasty virus outbreak.

Its a good idea. Gloves work too. But with the latex gloves you can just throw them away. You dont have to put them back on your truck.

 

LINK

Days after complaints from truckers and some elected officials, the Pennsylvania Turnpike is reopening all of its service plazas on a limited basis and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has reopened 13 of its 30 rest stops.

The stops were closed earlier this week because both agencies said they wanted to limit contact among motorists and employees due to the COVID-19 virus and they had difficulty cleaning the facilities properly. Those decisions drew sharp criticism from groups such as the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, who said the trucking industry is vital now more than ever because it delivers emergency supplies and drivers need safe facilities to rest.

PennDOT reopened its 13 busiest sites Thursday. They are located on Interstate 81, north and southbound stops in Luzerne and Cumberland counties; on Interstate 79, north and southbound stops in Crawford County and the northbound stop in Allegheny County; and on Interstate 80, east and westbound stops in Venango, Centre and Montour counties.

PennDOT spokeswoman Alexis Campbell said each site will have five portable toilets that will be cleaned once a day. Indoor facilities will not be open at the rest stops because the agency doesn’t have staffing available to keep them sanitized to prevent the spread of the virus.

The department will continue to monitor conditions to determine whether other sites can be reopened.

On the turnpike, the agency announced Thursday it would reopen all 17 of its service plazas on a limited basis at 7 a.m. Friday.

Restrooms at the facilities will be open 24 hours a day but there will be limited options and hours for food service at most sites. The North Midway and Valley Forge plazas will have food 24 hours a day, but the other sites only will have food from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. after Friday when food won’t be available until 8 a.m.

The turnpike had closed bathrooms and restaurants at all of its plazas on Tuesday to limit social contact among motorists and service workers, but convenience stores and fuel service continued. The agency placed portable toilets and two hand-washing stations at each plaza, and those will stay in place.

Turnpike spokeswoman Rosanne Placey said the closure was necessary while restaurant operators HMS Host and 7-Eleven devised a system to staff the facilities with limited employees and maintain sanitary conditions.

“We realize how vital [truckers’] service is so we’re happy we can reopen even on a limited basis,” Ms. Placey said. “Even with this change, the food service will be open on a limited basis. We can’t have a lot of people there and they can’t eat inside.”