NEW YORK — After announcing Sunday that subway service would be cut this week due to a “COVID surge,” MTA leadership said Monday the transit system was “dead on schedule” throughout rush hour across the city.

In an interview on Monday with 1010 WINS, Janno Lieber, the MTA's acting chairman and chief executive, assured New Yorkers the MTA had the necessary staffing to accommodate straphangers during the holiday season.

“People are not going to see dramatic changes, they may wait a minute or two longer on a platform,” Lieber said.

"I don't think people are going to experience dramatic disruptions,” he added. "We do have a lot more folks out because of COVID, but we're making these adjustments and service is running just like we’ve done since the beginning of COVID. We're not going to let New York down. We are here to keep the city moving."

In a tweet Sunday afternoon, the MTA said that from Monday through Thursday trains would run less frequently.

"Like everyone in New York, we've been affected by the COVID surge," New York City Transit tweeted. "We’re taking proactive steps to provide the best, most consistent service we can. That means you may wait a little longer for your train."

It was unclear how many MTA workers were out due to the fast-spreading omicron variant at the time.

By Monday, Lieber confirmed the agency was experiencing “dramatically” higher COVID-19 positivity rates among its ranks, though he said they’re managing to cope with the impact.

“Our own numbers of at least the self-reported folks who are out with positive tests have gone up dramatically. But, by managing our workforce, by inviting retirees to come back to work, by creating incentives for people to delay vacations during the holiday season and taking other steps we've been able to continue to provide pretty solid service, the system is running,” Lieber said.

"We're taking these proactive steps to provide the best possible service this week and keep our employees safe," New York City Transit added in a tweet.

The MTA said it was working to implement Gov. Kathy Hochul's eased quarantine rules that allow essential employees to return to work five days after testing positive for COVID-19 provided they are fully vaccinated and asymptomatic or have resolved symptoms.