New York City's motorcycle community is riding to save lives
The orders were straightforward and immediate: pick up the supplies, ride through the streets of New York City and make the deliveries.
There would be no detours, no diversions. The clock was ticking.
On March 21, Ryan Snelson and three other motorcycle riders geared up, divided up the supplies and took off from Montauk, New York, to meet their receivers in Tribeca and Queens. The supplies strapped to their bikes would help protect the doctors, nurses and other health care professionals battling the deadly novel coronavirus pandemic. New York City hospitals were running out of personal protective equipment (PPE) as the number of sick grew each day. The masks, gloves and gowns Snelson and his crew were in possession of could save patients' -- and doctors' -- lives.
Snelson, a longtime biker, took action against the virus the only way he knew how: by calling on his fellow bikers to join him in the cause.
"We're just regular people who have bikes and have regular jobs in the city," he told ABC News. "The motorcycle community is very active in New York."
Snelson was intrigued after learning about Masks for Docs, a grassroots campaign that was started two weeks ago by Chad Loder, a computer security researcher and entrepreneur in the Los Angeles area. Masks for Docs, which is in the process of being recognized as a 501 (c) charity organization, connects people who have PPE with hospitals and health clinics around the country. Donors and receivers fill out an online questionnaire and Masks for Docs then shares the info with its local volunteer chapters to verify the applicants and distribute the supplies quickly to the requisite facilities.
"We're getting photos from doctors and nurses who are wearing trash bags and bandanas [for protection]," Loder told ABC News. "We've had hospitals say they cannot accept donations but doctors are privately reaching out to us. We have to move faster than the virus."
Individuals can donate surgical, construction and N95 masks, hand sanitizers, hazmat suits, disposable scrubs, face shields and gowns on the Masks for Docs site. Loder said local chapters are given guidance on acceptable donations as well as safety precautions when picking up and dropping off the PPE.
More than 60 riders have joined the New York "moto squad," according to Snelson, and supplies have been delivered to all five New York City boroughs as well as northern New Jersey.
"It all happened so fast," Snelson noted. "We're figuring it out as we go ... and we can start and stop based on our schedules."
Meredith Balkus, who joined Snelson on the group's first mission and wrote about the experience for VICE, recalled how eerie and still the city's streets were that Saturday night, a "surreal" experience for the riders involved.
"When this opportunity came up I was so excited," she told ABC News. "We all understand the gravity of the situation and it's really rewarding to help doctors who are on the front lines. It's really dire in New York and there's a lot of hunger out there to help."
At least 776 New Yorkers have died from COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, and more than half of New York state's cases are in the city. Nearly 8,500 state residents are currently hospitalized. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio warned Sunday in an interview on CNN that city hospitals have only one week's worth of medical supplies.
Snelson said his team is cognizant of the infection risks and closely adheres to the safety guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"We are so smart every step of the way," added Balkus. "We're wearing a full face helmet and a mask underneath. We always stay six feet apart from each other."
Moto squad's riders will do whatever it takes to stop the outbreak and slow down the rate of transmission, Snelson said.
"The motorcycle community will help -- always," he said.
