The government reduces physical distancing in the USPs

MANILA, Philippines – The government will reduce physical distancing in public vehicles on Monday, as advocates for passenger safety and the vice president questioned the basis for the decision, which they say could lead to a worse increase in infections by coronavirus.

On Saturday, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced that it would continue with its plan to gradually reduce the subway rule, starting with 0.75 meters on Monday to help the public transport sector recover from a forced fall due to coronavirus lockdowns. since March. and stimulate the growth of the economy, which entered a recession in the second quarter.

More jeepney routes

At the same time, the Land Transportation Franchise and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), an agency overseen by DOTr, said it would reopen 28 more jeepney routes in Quezon City, Manila, Makati and Muntinlupa, adding 1,159 more jeeps to public transportation, starting Monday.

Under the DOTr plan, physical distancing in public vehicles is further reduced to 0.5 meters on September 28, and then to 0.3 meters on October 12.

The Department of Health (DOH) opposed the plan, insisting on the distance of 1 meter recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

On Sunday, the DOH reported 3,372 additional infections, bringing the national count to 261,216 cases. He said 79 more patients had died, bringing the death toll to 4,371 and 20,472 more patients had recovered, bringing the total number of COVID-19 survivors to 207,568 and leaving the country with 49,277 active cases.

Seventh Mass Recovery Report

The large number of new recoveries was the result of DOH’s new strategy of counting mild and asymptomatic cases as recovered after 14 days of isolation.

It was the department’s seventh massive recovery report since the change took effect on July 13, when it reported 4,325 recoveries.

In a statement Saturday, the Move as One passenger safety coalition warned that ignoring health standards set by DOH could result in more new coronavirus infections and deaths, “wasting sacrifices [our health workers] and the progress made with the two-week lead time, ”referring to the two-week return to the strict lockdown requested by the medical community in August to control the rise in infections and give hospital staff a break.

“The medical experts in our group find no evidence [that] reducing the physical distance to less than 1 meter, even when combined with complementary measures, will provide sufficient protection for the cycling public, ”the group said.

Allow more jeepneys

Instead, he proposed that DOTr allow more open public vehicles, such as jeepneys, to return to the road and provide passengers with better ventilation during their travels.

The LTFRB plan would bring the number of jeepneys operating in Metro Manila to 17,000, but the coalition said this number was just one-third of the total number of jeepneys traveling the metropolis’s main routes before the pandemic.

The coalition also recommended that the government implement contracting services to boost public transportation capacity.

Under that plan, the government hires public vehicles to transport travelers on a fixed trip / kilometer rate regardless of passenger load.

But a nighttime curfew in Metro Manila runs counter to the reopening plan, as the absence of public transportation at night prevents businesses with night operations from reopening.

In her Sunday radio show, Vice President Leni Robredo urged transportation officials not to “bet on things like public health” and to make decisions “based on science.”

“Is the 0.3 meter rule based on science?” Robredo asked. “If the goal is to help drivers earn more, that’s fine. But I think there are better ways to do this. “

Robredo recommended hiring services, which eliminates the limit system that consumes a large part of the daily earnings of bus and jeepney drivers.

Let’s see what will happen in the next few weeks. But we are praying that the [new distancing plan will] be effective, ”he said.

‘Carefully calibrated’

Malacañang defended the DOTr plan, saying it was “carefully calibrated.”

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles assured Saturday night that the plan would be implemented with other health measures – the use of masks and face shields and hand disinfection – to ensure that it would not lead to further transmission of the virus.

Nograles, co-chair of the Interagency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, the temporary government body that oversees the administration’s coronavirus response, said easing restrictions on public transportation was part of a plan that balances public health and safety. economy.

“These adjustments that DOTr makes are carefully calibrated. But that does not mean that if we reduce physical distancing, we will not have more health protocols, “said Nograles.

He noted that other countries, including Japan, have begun to ease restrictions on public transportation.

“In Japan they allow it,” Nograles said. “The DOTr is verifying how many passengers [Japan’s trains are allowed to carry]. What do they use? Masks and face shields. It means that we can slowly reduce physical distancing as long as [we] they have additional health protocols. “

He said the task force will meet with health experts on Monday and discuss the matter during their meeting on Tuesday.

The head of the House economic affairs committee on Sunday supported the DOTr plan, saying it would help the economy recover.

“Without public transportation, people can’t go to work and businesses won’t open,” said AAMBIS-OWA representative Sharon Garin.

“When the supply of public transport is less than the demand, people give up social distancing. The wheels of the economy will not start turning without ample public transportation, ”he said.

–With reporting from Krixia Subingsubing, Tina G. Santos, Julie M. Aurelio, and DJ Yap

For more news on the new coronavirus, click here.

What you need to know about the coronavirus.

For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.

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