Tricycles do not comply with social distancing: DOTr

FILE: Personnel of the city government use a mist cannon to apply disinfectant along the intersection of N. Domingo and Lt. Artiaga streets in San Juan City on Saturday (March 14, 2020). (PNA photo by Joey O. Razon)

MANILA – Tricycles are not allowed as these could not comply with social distancing and may continue the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) amid the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon, an official of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Thursday.

In a phone patch interview over Unang Hirit on GMA 7, DOTr Undersecretary Artemio Tuazon Jr. said the small sizes of tricycles would not allow minimal precautions on social distancing such as a one-meter distance between people.

“Talagang hindi pwede po yan, kasi ang tricycle po, napakaliit po ng sasakyan, magkadikit halos ang driver, yung mga pasahero, hindi po natin mapre-prevent yung transmission nung virus kung sakali man (It’s really not allowed. Because tricycles, they are small vehicles, drivers and passengers are almost touching, we won’t be able to prevent transmission of the virus),” Tuazon said.

Earlier, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto requested to allow the operation of tricycles in his city to ferry health workers and emergency patients.

To address the issue, Tuazon said Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año would speak to Sotto about the matter.

Sotto said he would comply with the government’s directive to ban tricycles during the month-long quarantine period after Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles rejected his plea on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Sotto announced that tricycles would be allowed to continue to operate but would be limited for the use of people exempted from the Luzon-wide quarantine.

He said this includes health workers, security forces, employees of establishments providing essential services such as groceries, and media personnel.

During its limited operations, he said tricycles would only be allowed to take up to three passengers at a time, aside from an earlier declaration that allowed tricycle operators to raise fares by half to compensate for the limited number of passengers.