Eased physical distancing in PUVs due to public clamor — DOTr

 File photo (Niño Jesus Orbeta/Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — The easing of physical distancing rules in public utility vehicles (PUVs)  was due to public clamor, a Department of Transportation (DOTr) official said Monday.

“Nagmula po yang request na yan sa ating mga mamamayan dahil nga po nagbubukas na yung ating ekonomiya, kailangan pong makapasok sa trabaho ang mga tao natin, ang mga mamamayan natin,” DOTr Undersecretary Artemio Tuazon Jr. said in a televised briefing.

(This request came from the public since our economy is already reopening and more people need to go to work.)

The one-meter physical distancing rule has been reduced to 0.75 meters to help the public transport sector recover from the slump caused by lockdown measures.

Physical distancing in public vehicles will be reduced further to 0.5 meters on September 28 and 0.3 meters on October 12, according to DOTr’s plan.

“Ito po ang narinig ni Sec. [Arthur] Tugade kaya inatasan niya po yung different sectors ng ating public transport na pag-aralan po yan. Pinagaralan po nila yan, kagaya po ng sinabi ko, may studies po here and overseas na naging basehan po nila sa pag mungkahi niyan sa IATF [Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases],” Tuazon said.

(This was what Sec. Tugade heard that’s why he tasked the different public transportation sectors to study the mattyer. There are studies here and abroad that became the basis of the proposal to the IATF.)

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, however, stressed that more PUVs should have just been deployed rather than merely reducing the physical distancing measures.

In response, Tuazon said the DOTr has already done this by adding some 28 routes for PUVs, meaning an additional 1,000 jeepneys will be allowed on the roads.

“Ginagawa na po namin yan, sa katunayan po, sa ngayong araw na ito, 28 bagong ruta ang aming binuksan para sa mga jeep. Katumbas po ito ng 1,156 na units ng jeep ang puwede nang pumasada,” Tuazon said.

(We are already doing that. In fact, today, we opened 28 new routes for jeepneys. This is equivalent to 1,156 units that can return to the roads.)

Tuazon noted that despite the easing of physical distancing, other protocols are in place to ensure the prevention of virus transmission like wearing face masks, face shields and no talking while inside a public vehicle.

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