The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to delay expansion of New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority's new contactless fare payment system, OMNY, across the subway, officials said Tuesday, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

The transportation authority is in the process of disinfecting the subway, rail and bus systems, which include the MetroCard vending machines.

OMNY allows riders to pay using a tap-and-pay credit card, a smartphone or a smartwatch by placing it above an electronic reader instead of touching the vending machine. The system is currently available at about half of the system's 472 subway stations and on Staten Island bus routes.

MTA officials halted installation of digital readers at subway turnstiles in late March to prevent workers from becoming infected with the virus. Installations resumed in early May, and are expected to finish by December.

The city also shut down Uber and Lyft service for four and a half hours Tuesday beginning at 8 p.m. on account of a curfew in response to the civil unrest, according to a New York Post report.

For an update on how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting kiosks, click here.