COVID-19 task force catches 6,476 motorcycle back-riding violators

MANILA, Philippines — The head of the Joint Task Force Coronavirus Disease (JTF COVID) Shield stressed the need for barriers on motorcycles on Sunday, citing the 6,476 people who were caught violating the policy that limited back riding to married or live-in couples.

JTF COVID Shield commander Police Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said on Sunday that the barriers to ensure physical distancing between motorcycle drivers and their passengers would serve as a safety net since some Filipinos were fond of bending rules.

In a radio interview, Eleazar said that from July 10 to 18, JTF COVID Shield personnel flagged over 14,700 motorcycles with back riders nationwide. Of the total, 14,156 had no barriers while 6,476 of the riders were not married or live-in couples but relatives, friends or neighbors.

The high number of violators, he added in a statement, only strengthened the government’s resolve to strictly implement the rules on motorcycle tandem riding to stop the spread of the new coronavirus disease.

“If we will not practice discipline and go around the rules, it is just fitting that we require barriers. We have a basic rule as to who are allowed and yet some are trying to get around it,” Eleazar said.

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