COVID-19 task force extends deadline on motorcycle barrier installation

MANILA, Philippines — The government has given motorcycle riders until July 26 to install any of the two protective dividers on their two-wheeled vehicles which are required for pillion riding, the chief of the Joint Task Force (JTF) COVID Shield said Saturday.

“As per our Secretary of the Interior and Local Government (SILG) Eduardo Año, from the original July 19, the deadline for motorcycle riders to comply with the required barrier for pillion riding is now moved to July 26,” Police Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, JTF COVID Shield chief, said in a statement.

Eleazar said the extended deadline would allow motorcycle riders to either put up the Bohol prototype which uses a protective shield to separate the passengers and riders or the prototype of motorcycle hailing app Angkas which places the protective shield on the vest of the motorcycle rider.

“We hope that the two-week grace period is more than enough for motorists to conform to the safety standards of the two approved designs to ensure the safety of both the driver and the riders,” the police official said.

For now, Eleazar said law enforcers are apprehending motorcycle riders who will fail to comply with other guidelines such as the mandatory wearing of face masks and helmets.

The government’s task force on the coronavirus disease has allowed pillion rides for couples only starting July 10 as long as there are protective barriers installed on the motorcycle. The government later moved the deadline.

/MUF