There was a lot of cognitive dissonance going on at the beginning of March. The mayor actually took a special ride on the subway to reassure the public and said

There was a lot of cognitive dissonance going on at the beginning of March. The mayor actually took a special ride on the subway to reassure the public and said something to the effect that you were unlikely to contract it on the subway since the CDC said it generally spread when you were exposed to someone infected within 6 feet for 15 minutes. It was clear to everyone that is exactly how people ride the subway except for the mayor who never rides it. I’m lucky that I can WFH as needed and when the first positive case came to NYC decided to WFH and see how things went and obviously haven’t been to the office since. I don’t think shutting it down would have been possible but just encouraging people to work from home earlier would have helped reduce ridership.