Mayor Bill de Blasio takes rare subway ride to calm coronavirus fears

You know times are dire when Mayor Bill de Blasio takes the subway.

Hizzoner, a noted SUV lover, huddled with the masses aboard the A train on Thursday in a stunt intended to allay New Yorkers’ fears about the coronavirus — riding all of one stop.

De Blasio picked up the A at Fulton Street in Lower Manhattan, and rode it a single stop to High Street in Brooklyn Heights, en route to the neighborhood’s Office of Emergency Management headquarters, across the street from the station.

“We have the best public health professionals in the world protecting you,” said de Blasio as he boarded the train for the four-minute trip. “Right now, all over the city, there are doctors and nurses and disease detectives and all sorts of other folks out there trying to make sure everyone is safe.

“So far, we’ve had really good results.”

Twenty-two people have tested positive for the deadly disease in the Empire State so far, among them three city residents.

At a press briefing earlier in the day, City Council Speaker — and presumptive 2021 mayoral candidate — Corey Johnson also invited New Yorkers to ride the rails.

“You can still ride the subway,” said Johnson, a far more frequent straphanger than de Blasio. “I did it today from Union Square down to City Hall.”

Shortly before de Blasio’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it trip, Johnson retweeted a shot from his own jaunt hours earlier, the timing of the retweet appearing to troll the mayor’s rare ride.

“On the subway this morning headed to City Hall!” he captioned the photo. “Take precautions like you would any cold and flu season: cover sneezes and coughs with your elbows or tissues, wash your hands after you ride, and call your health care provider with concerns re: underlying health issues.”

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