LTFRB orders PUV drivers, conductors to wear face masks while on the road

MANILA, Philippines — Amid the threat of the deadly 2019 novel coronavirus, public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and operators are now required to wear face masks while on the road.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) released to media on Friday Memorandum Circular (MC) 2020-005, which orders all drivers and conductors to “properly wear face masks while on duty” and “for all franchise holders to ensure their compliance.”

All terminal operators were likewise directed to “ensure proper sanitation and cleanliness in their premises and provide face masks as well as disinfectant or sanitizer dispensers for free use of passengers.”

The MC was issued during a special session in Subic, Zambales, on Thursday, Jan. 30.

It shall be effective upon its publication in a newspaper of general circulation and when copies of it are filed with the UP Law Center.

This order came the day the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed the first case of the deadly respiratory virus in the country.

The patient is a 38-year-old woman from Wuhan, China, who arrived in the Philippines on Jan. 21 via Hong Kong.

The DOH said the patient is currently admitted at a government hospital in Manila.

Photo shows a copy of the MC 2020-005. Photo from DOTr.