Use of Personal Protection Equipment by Moscow Subway Passengers under Conditions of COVID-19 Pandemic

The Subway is the most important means of transport in Moscow. The active flows of passengers in the metro can contribute to the spread of infectious diseases with airborne and contact mechanisms of transmission, including the coronavirus infection COVID-19. The aim of the study was to assess the level of adherence to the use of personal protective equipment (facial masks, gloves) by passengers of the Moscow Subway. Materials and methods. A prospective study based on a visual assessment of passengers in a rolling stock of the Moscow subway, with division into cohorts of those using masks and gloves (K1), using only masks (K2), using masks in violation of the rules of use (K3) and not using personal protection equipment (K4) was conducted. Observations were carried out during the 42nd and 43rd weeks of 2020 in various subway clusters with a division in time into morning, afternoon and evening hours. Additionally, passengers were ranked into groups by occupation during the trip. Statistical processing included the identification of frequencies, their 95 % confidence intervals. To compare the significance of differences in the prevalence of features in paired groups, the methods of 4-field tables (χ2 Pearson) were used. Results and discussion. 18053 observations were validated, covering 61.3 % of stations. Men accounted for 54.7 % (9867). During the observation period, the following shares were established: K1 – 5.2 % (95 % CI 4.9–5.5), K2 – 51.9 % (95 % CI 51.2–52.7), K3 – 26.9 (95 % CI 26.2–27.6), K4 – 16 % (95 % CI 15.4–16.6). The level of adherence to the proper use of PPE is significantly lower among men. Land lines have the lowest proportion of passengers using PPE. Among passengers using electronic devices and paper media, a higher proportion of those wearing masks with violation of the rules of use, compared to passengers without activities, was established. Among passengers using electronic devices, the proportion of those using gloves is the lowest. Within two weeks of follow-up, a significant increase in the frequency of PPE use was revealed