Sanitation of PUVs required amid Covid-19 threat

FILE: Traffic along EDSA, Mandaluyong (Photo by Judgefloro/Wikimedia Commons, CC0)

MANILA – Operators and drivers of public utility vehicles (PUV) are required to sanitize their fleet before and after deployment to combat the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Under Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Memorandum Circular 2020-005 issued on January 30, PUV operators are required to educate drivers and conductors on the disease’s symptoms, to report any possible infections, and to post a copy of Covid-19 hotline numbers inside the public transport.

The board also required operators to provide sanitizer dispensers for the free use of passengers.

In late January, PUV drivers and conductors were required to wear face masks at all times while on duty.

Terminal operators were also directed to provide free face masks and sanitizers to passengers, aside from ensuring the cleanliness of their terminals.

Apart from observing proper hygiene, the LTFRB also called on the riding public, PUV operators, drivers, and conductors to refrain from “making undue remarks as to unnecessarily raise fear or discrimination among stakeholders.

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In stepping up efforts to prevent the spread of the disease, public gatherings, and large-scale events will soon be regulated through “social distancing” measures due to the surge in confirmed Covid-19 infections.

Last week, the Philippines reported its first local transmission of the disease involving a man with no travel history to Covid-19-affected areas and his wife. As of Tuesday, the Philippines has recorded 33 confirmed cases of the disease.

Over the weekend, President Rodrigo Duterte declared a state of public health emergency following the first confirmed case of local transmission.