I would imagine before this became known, many took the subway, or other mass transit to Manhattan twice a day. They are usually packed in there like sardines.
Corona is served by the 7 Train, the single most crowded subway line in the city and probably the world. It starts at the Javuts Center and ends in Main St Flushing. Flushing is Korean and Chinese. Corona and Elmhurst Hispanic. Woodside Sunnyside are everything. Jackson Hts whilte and South Asian.
When I was kid visiting my grandfather in Manhattan, he would take me to the park. He stopped to chat along the way with other retired people he knew in the neighborhood who were sitting at benches, getting some fresh air. This was true even in the winter, so long as it wasn’t ridiculously cold.
I remember them talking about how now that it was flu season they were being careful not to ride the subways because they knew being elderly they were more at risk for flu complications and the subways were crowded. They just curtailed their various entertainment activities that they took the subway downtown to get to. In some cases, if they didn’t have a bad hip or something, they walked maybe 20 blocks or so to visit a friend instead of taking the subway.
I also remember that these people were not overweight.