IATF to issue reso on reduced physical distancing in PUVs

FILE: Passengers of a traditional jeepney along Kamias Road, Quezon City on Wednesday (August 19, 2020) wear face masks and face shields as protection from getting infected with the coronavirus disease. (PNA photo Robert O. Alfilert)

MANILA – The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) would issue a resolution on the easing of physical distancing in public transportation, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Tuesday.

“Magkakaroon po ng resolution diyan. Kung wala talagang resolution, the President will decide (There would be a resolution on that but if there’s none, the President will decide),” he said in a virtual briefing.

While the specific text on physical distancing was not written in the recent IATF resolutions, Roque said the task force has verbally approved the proposal when none of the officials present in a previous meeting objected.

“Um-attend po ako ng meeting na iyon, narinig ko iyan, iyong pagbabawas sa social distancing pagdating sa pampublikong transportasyon na naaprubahan po dahil diniscuss po iyan doon sa IATF meeting at hindi naman po tumutol ang DOH (I attended that meeting and I heard it myself, the recommendation to reduce social distancing when it comes to public vehicles, it was discussed in the IATF and the Department of Health did not object),” he said.

Roque said the approval came following a report by National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) chief Karl Kendrick Chua, showing through data, the need to increase access to public transportation to open the economy.

In the proposed eased rule, physical distancing between commuters inside public transportation would be reduced from one meter to 0.75 meter (approximately 2.5 feet) starting Sept. 14.

The distancing would then be reduced to 0.5 meters (approximately 1.8 feet) on Sept. 28 and 0.3 meters starting October 12.