Taguig designates ‘exercise safe zones’ amid pandemic

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MANILA – Taguig has designated “exercise safe zones” across the city where fitness enthusiasts can sweat it out under strict monitoring for health and safety protocols.

The local government on Saturday deployed personnel along Bayani Road at the Heritage Memorial Park area, a popular place for physical activities like jogging, cycling and aerobics among Taguig residents.

This go-to site for various exercises is one of the exercise safe zones in the city much like the Taguig Lakeshore complex and the 3.5-kilometer C6 Bike Lane in Barangay Lower Bicutan.

After initial reports involving some citizens, runners and bikers failing to comply with health and safety protocols, Taguig is also set to designate Bayani Road an “exercise safe zone”, with several other sites already in the pipeline.

The personnel on the safe zones will ensure the strict implementation of national and local guidelines through a “tapang at malasakit (courage and concern)” approach.

On Saturday morning, the team at the Heritage Memorial Park area gave away free masks and drinks to citizens working out.

Doing away with plain punitive methods, the city will place signage across the sites reminding the public of the measures in place, and then designate police and local government employees to inform people politely about possible violations.

The city will set up stations for regular monitoring, bike repair and help desks at the designated safe zones.

To monitor the 2.3-kilometer bike lane along Bayani Road, the city will maximize the Bike Patrol formed under the Bike-Friendly Taguig Ordinance signed on June 1.

The city government will also continue to tap civil society to participate in raising awareness of health and safety guidelines through the Bike Taguig Community Group.

Also under the ordinance, Taguig began distributing bicycles to health centers. These will be loaned to health workers so they may have a more convenient and sustainable mode of transportation from home to work, as well as to deliver services to citizens.

“We encourage the private sector to collaborate with the government so that, together, we can ensure that citizens are protected from Covid-19,” Mayor Lino Cayetano said. “In the new normal, it is important that our people understand that the disease remains a threat. We must all work together.”

Metro Manila, including Taguig, is still under general community quarantine which strictly requires everyone to wear face masks, wash hands and observe physical distancing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).