Port Authority chief tests positive for bug

Rick Cotton, the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, tested positive for the coronavirus, Gov. Cuomo announced Monday.

“He’s been at the airports, obviously,” the governor said. “He’ll be working from home and now the senior team that works with Rick will also be tested. So several of them may be on quarantine.”

“Cotton is currently asymptomatic and has self-quarantined at his home while maintaining a full schedule,” the Port Authority said. “Any staff members who have had close contact with him in recent days are also working from home as they follow the guidelines and protocols put in place by the New York State Department of Health.”

The state has more than 140 confirmed cases of coronavirus, the governor said, with 21 of

them in New York City. The governor has not been tested for the virus, saying he’s not a “probably positive.”

Last Thursday, Cotton (inset) and other big shots, including MTA Chairman Patrick Foye, attended a breakfast hosted by the NYU Rudin Center for Transportation.

“I saw Rick at the event. I didn’t talk with him, I didn’t shake hands,” Foye told the Daily News Monday. “There are others here who were there, and we’re talking to medical staff here and we’ll act accordingly.” MTA employees who attended the breakfast and may have run into Cotton are being evaluated.

City Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg also attended the breakfast, but did not have any interactions with Cotton, according to department spokesman Scott Gastel. “She wishes him a quick recovery,” Gastel said.