Rail Line Debuts 'Quarantine Class' With Live Measles Scoreboard
Passengers can now pay extra to ride sealed in plastic while watching real-time exposure tallies scroll overhead.
Following reports of measles exposures on trains and at sporting venues in three states, a regional transit authority has unveiled a new premium seating tier billed as the safest and most entertaining way to travel during an outbreak.
The car, wrapped floor to ceiling in industrial shrink wrap, seats twelve and features a scrolling digital scoreboard above the aisle that tallies nearby exposure alerts the way a sports arena tracks runs or goals. Riders receive a complimentary snorkel-style face shield and a laminated card explaining that the shrink wrap is 'mostly decorative but very reassuring.'
'We wanted travelers to feel like they were watching the outbreak rather than participating in it,' said a spokesperson for the line, adjusting a plastic sheet that had come loose near the beverage cart. 'Think of it as a skybox, but for germs.'
Stadiums that have reported exposures are reportedly considering a companion product: sealed 'quarantine box seats' overlooking the field, where fans can watch both the game and a small monitor tracking how close the nearest confirmed case is sitting.
Early reviews of the rail car are mixed. Several passengers praised the scoreboard as 'oddly gripping,' while others complained that the shrink wrap fogs up during overtime.