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INQUIRER PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES
MANILA, Philippines – Interior Secretary Eduardo Año favors the deployment of more public utility vehicles (PUVs) rather than reducing physical distancing measures amid the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Year, vice president of the National Task Force against COVID-19, said that he personally wants to respect the physical distancing of one meter from public transport to prevent further spread of COVID-19.
“Personally, I would like to meet the minimum standard of one meter of physical distance. If we can really provide more transportation for our people instead of reducing the gap, it would be better, ”he said in an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel Monday morning.
Earlier, the Secretary of Transportation, Arthur Tugade, announced that the Interagency Working Group on Emerging Infectious Diseases and the NTF approved the proposal to reduce the physical distancing in PUVs from one meter to 0.75 meters starting this Monday.
On September 11, Tugade said the government also plans to further lower the physical distance limit to 0.5 meters after two weeks, and then to 0.3 meters after another two weeks.
But when asked if he thinks this new adjustment could complicate the government’s contact tracing efforts, Year, who himself was a COVID-19 survivor twice, responded, “That’s a possibility.”
He added that the government will continue to discuss the relaxation of physical distancing measures in public transport.
“We will discuss that more tomorrow. The resolution has been approved by the IATF but again as I have said, that is subject to further discussion, especially that the health sector will present tomorrow the argument to reconsider the reduction of physical distancing, ”he said, referring to an IATF meeting about Tuesday.
Year explained that the government approved the adjustments after the outcry from the economic sector that the prerequisites of physical distancing were not enough to transport workers and travelers, which negatively affects the economy.
He pointed out that other government agencies also proposed additional measures to be observed in the USPs with this relaxation of protocols.
They proposed additional measures such as wearing masks and of course face shields, and then absolutely not talking during the trip, not answering the phone, “he said.
“At the same time, the NTF also proposes that vehicles or public transport should also install some kind of barriers between passengers,” added the head of DILG.
Year said the government will also monitor the effects of the relaxation of physical distancing requirements in the USPs and the COVID-19 situation in the country.
There will be marshals in public transport and we will review and monitor and see what the effect of this distance reduction really is. This is still subject to change if there are adverse effects of this reduction in distance, ”he said.
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