Medical experts back reduced physical distancing in PUVs

MANILA, Philippines — A group of medical experts on Tuesday backed the government’s move to ease social distancing rules in public transportation, as they advocate for the strict implementation of “seven commandments” in all public utility vehicles (PUVs).

In a statement, the expert panel of doctors, describing themselves as having diverse backgrounds from public health, epidemiology, and infectious diseases, said that there is now a need for an “urgent need to revitalize the economy.”

The panel of experts is composed of former Department of Health secretaries Dr. Manuel Dayrit and Dr. Esperanza Cabral, University of the Philippines (UP)-Manila College of Public Health Dean Dr. Vicente Belizario Jr., UP Manila Environmental and Occupational Health Department chair Dr. Michael Hernandez, National Task Force against COVID-19 special advisor Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, Philippine College of Surgeons Cancer Commission Director Dr. Manuel Francisco Roxas, Eye Bank Foundation of the Philippines Founder and CEO Dr. Ma. Dominga Padilla and infectious disease specialist Dr. Rontgene Solante.

“However, we cannot build back the economy without increasing public transport capacity, which has been operating at only 20-30 percent of pre-pandemic levels due to understandable fears of outbreaks arising from congested public transport spaces,” the panel of experts said.

With this, the experts then said it raised a “more comprehensive set of recommendations” to members of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on Monday.

The experts advocate such guidelines, or what called the “seven commandments”, to be “strictly implemented” in all modes of public transportation:

1. Wearing of proper face masks

2. Wearing of face shields

3. No talking and no eating

4. Adequate ventilation

5. Frequent and proper disinfection

6. No symptomatic passengers

7. Appropriate physical distancing

“By imposing these strict measures, we believe we can gradually relax social distancing rules, in order to double or even triple our current public transport capacity, without compromising public health,” the experts said.

It was on Monday when the one-meter distance between passengers was reduced to 0.75 meters.

By Sept. 28, the distance will further be reduced to 0.5 meters, and then to 0.3 meters by Oct. 12 in order to allow optimization of ridership.

During the House of Representatives’ deliberations on the Department of Transportation’s 2021 budget, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade defended the move, saying that it was “not a product of knee-jerk reaction but a product of research.”

The experts also said it would like to engage in further dialogue with the IATF, medical and transportation experts, and other stakeholders, about their proposal.

“We also encourage a discussion of other groups’ thoughts on health and other matters, including the overall increase of the supply of safe public transportation such as rail, buses, jeepneys, motorcycle taxis, and Transport Network Vehicle Services (TNVS), and the use of other options such as cycling, walking, and private shuttles,” the group said.

“We also recommend the full institutionalization of private sector expert consultation to further improve our overall management of the economy and public health,” they added.

The success of their plan, the group said, is “by no means guaranteed” as it relies on the “proper implementation and enforcement of such measures they proposed by the relevant government agencies.

“Critically, it also requires the education of the public, who must take full responsibility for compliance with the seven commandments,” they said. “This plan’s success also rests on continuous monitoring and data-driven evaluation by public health experts.”

“It is our hope that by working together, we can implement these public health measures to revitalize our country safely and give Filipinos their lives back.”  [ac]