A Pandemic Playbook for Transportation Agencies (2021)

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4 Introduction Community services are vital to the functioning of the communities in which they operate. With people across the nation, and the globe, affected by COVID­19 and the ongoing chal­ lenges of responding to it, transportation systems must be as safe as possible and available to all. COVID­19 is the most recent pandemic. In the not too distant past, there have been other pandemics—H1N1 (“Swine Flu”) in 2009, H3N2 (“Hong Kong Flu”) in 1968–1969, and H2N2 (“Asian Flu”) in 1957–1958—and potential pandemics (Zika in 2016, Ebola in 2014, H5N1 “Bird Flu” in 2005–2007, and SARS in 2003). Others are likely to occur in the future. All pandemics have had real effects on health and transportations systems. This pandemic Playbook was created to improve transportation agency responses to a pandemic. It concentrates on what needs to be done, when, and by whom. The Playbook briefly addresses planning for a pandemic, a topic addressed in greater depth in NCHRP Report 769: A Guide for Public Transportation Pandemic Planning and Response.1 It summarizes effective practices currently used by transportation agencies, as identified in interviews with state DOTs and transit agency leaders and operational personnel (interviewees are listed in Appendix A), supplemented with national and international research results. The Playbook was researched and assembled “while the plane was in flight” to be of practical use to transportation professionals during COVID­19 and future pandemics.2 Pandemic Basics A pandemic is a “global disease outbreak” that may easily spread because there is little or no immunity to the disease and thereby result in a high rate of sickness and death.3 At the onset of a pandemic, no vaccine is available and there are limited, if any, successful medical treatments. Treatment or a vaccine may take some time to become available, if ever. Pandemics differ in their persistence, contagiousness, method of contagion, mutability, and lethality. These factors determine risk and must be included in the response to the disease. Understanding pandemics, their impacts on transportation, and potential effective responses to them has become more important, not only with regard to the response to COVID­19, but also if, as the World Health Organization warns, the world is now “living in a time of viruses.”4 Most natural and man­made hazards create a distinct emergency event—an occurrence that lasts for a specific, short period of time. There is an event and then a postevent response and recovery period. Pandemics do not present as a distinct “event.” Once there is an initial outbreak, the pandemic can last for months or longer. Instead of a recovery or return to C H A P T E R 1

Introduction 5 normal, there may be a series of recovery phases. Pandemics have other characteristics that differ from those of other hazards. Table 1 highlights some of these differences. Impacts on Transportation All hazards have social and economic consequences, but, unlike more common emergency events, pandemics have minimal, if any, impact on infrastructure. Pandemics “cause significant absenteeism, disrupt essential services and operations, change patterns of commerce, and interrupt supply chains.”5 The social impacts on agency employees are significant. Direct impacts include exposure risks—illness and potential death—and the potential need to quarantine due to exposure or because family members are in high­risk occupations such as health care. Indirect impacts of the pandemic include the need to care for family members because of illness or disruptions of school or daycare. As COVID­19 has demonstrated, the social impacts on the wider community are great as well. The community can experience disruptions of food distribution, education, routine medical care, social activities, and recreation. These disruptions can lead to job losses, business closures, reduced tax revenues, and fiscal challenges, with disproportionate impacts on traditionally underserved populations. Depending on the length of time, pandemics can significantly affect transportation revenues for highways as gasoline consumption and asso­ ciated fuel tax revenues are reduced, along with reduced toll revenues, in both cases having an impact on paying off bonds and/or maintenance. Economic impacts on transportation agencies can be drastic. At its peak, COVID­19 reduced overall traffic up to 90% as people worked from and sheltered at home, although commercial traffic increased as the demand for supplies and online purchases increased. Public transit was hardest hit. Public fear and concerns for safety, along with the lockdowns and telework, resulted in service reductions that have been slow to recover. The economic impacts of the disruptions and reductions in service along with the reductions in revenue owing to the pandemic may take Natural or Man-made Hazard Pandemic Tends to be distinct or short-duration event (days/weeks) Can last for months or longer after the initial onset, with no certain ending or a threat that is ongoing, though possibly more manageable Physical infrastructure damage Social impacts Standard emergency management/response operations May require change of habits and modification of normal operations Legislative and administrative issues may require special attention Increased supporting role for state and community Short-term service disruptions and revenue impacts Long-term service disruptions and revenue impacts Return to normalcy/recovery May require a series of recovery phases Table 1. Differences between natural and man-made hazards and pandemics. Public transit faces a near-perfect storm. Ridership—and fare revenue—have dropped dramatically, as many people work from home and others avoid mass anything. . . . [T]ax receipts are falling at all levels of government amid the coronavirus- induced economic downturn. Meanwhile, agencies are shelling out more in cleaning costs, to protect riders and workers. And no one knows when Americans who have a choice will get back on the bus. —Aarian Marshall6

6 A Pandemic Playbook for Transportation Agencies years to overcome. Social and commercial impacts are starting to redefine the nature of social life in urban, suburban, and rural communities that will affect transportation decisions well into the future. Approaches to Pandemics As demonstrated throughout the world, pandemics can be contained and mitigated with persistence, vigilance, and mitigation. Transportation plays a key role in supporting these efforts. Several approaches for responding to a pandemic are available, as illustrated in Table 2. When a pandemic occurs, there is the potential for personnel and facilities to sud­ denly become unavailable. Either loss can cause a disruption in agency internal operations. A continuity of operations plan (COOP) addresses how to prepare for, respond during, and recover from such internal disruptions.7 The COOP perspective provides agencies with a framework for maintaining essential staffing and facilities and for preventing or mitigating employee absences. Reducing the impact of a pandemic, or any emergency event, is the focus of the emergency response framework. From this perspective, transportation agencies play a critical role. They “sustain transportation services, mitigate adverse economic impacts, meet societal needs, and move emergency relief personnel and commodities.”8 In addition, in their support role as part of Emergency Support Function (ESF) 1, trans­ portation agencies provide resources and support to other agencies and to the community (see Appendix B). During a pandemic, agencies may be called on to support local, state, and regional partners in both traditional and novel ways, as illustrated in Figure 1. Approach Focus Characteristics Pandemic Implications COOP Internal Restore/sustain agency functions and services. Maintain staffing and prevent or mitigate employee absences. Quickly restore essential functions. Emergency response Event Respond to event. Protect staff and public. Mitigate consequences. Support response and recovery. Restore services and initiate preventive response efforts. Find financial support. Support agency Community Provide resources and assets to address community needs. Support supply chain and community. Table 2. Overview of response approaches.

Introduction 7 Source: Colorado Department of Transportation. Figure 1. Colorado Department of Transportation delivers strategic national stockpile supplies, April 2020. Pandemic Planning NCHRP Report 769: A Guide for Public Transportation Pandemic Planning and Response addresses how to create an agency pandemic plan.9 Following is a brief overview of what should be considered and included. How to Plan • Identify all relevant planning participants and • Distinguish event elements generic to all disasters versus those that are specific to pandemics. What’s in the Plan • Definitions, organization, and roles; • Pandemic vulnerability assessment; • Priorities and policies; • Decision guidance (e.g., potential event stages, timeline); and • Coordination and collaboration, including identification of traditional and new key stakeholders. (continued on next page)

8 A Pandemic Playbook for Transportation Agencies Pandemic Planning (continued) Communications • Strategies for receiving information from emergency management and public health (e.g., situation reports, health alerts); • Sharing of information with staff and customers (e.g., information to assist planning, steps to be taken in response, key messages to include); and • Sharing information with other transportation, emergency management, and public health agencies (e.g., impact on service, readiness, personnel and equipment needs, available resources, anticipated changes to services). Resource Expectations • Staffing, • Assets (facilities, vehicles, etc.), • Equipment and supplies for response operations, and • Training. Updating the Plan • Regular review cycle, • Exercises, • Lessons learned, and • After-action reports.