{"id":248290,"date":"2020-03-14T00:17:30","date_gmt":"2020-03-14T04:17:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=248290"},"modified":"2020-03-14T00:17:30","modified_gmt":"2020-03-14T04:17:30","slug":"social-distancing-in-mrt-3-just-simulation-pending-guidelines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2020\/03\/14\/social-distancing-in-mrt-3-just-simulation-pending-guidelines\/","title":{"rendered":"Social distancing in MRT-3 just simulation pending guidelines"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
However, netizens were quick to criticize the measure as the usual long queues to board the MRT-3 worsened and alleged that the measure does not address possible contamination. (File Photo<\/a>: MRT-3 Philippines\/Facebook<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

MANILA<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 An official of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) on Friday said the recent \u2018social distancing\u2019 measure enforced on the rail service \u2014 which led to long queues and waiting time \u2014 was merely a simulation pending the release of official guidelines.<\/p>\n

\u201cSimulations\u00a0po<\/em>\u00a0in preparation for social distancing while we are waiting for the official guidelines,\u201d said Engr. Michael Capati, MRT-3 director for operations, in a message.<\/p>\n

Department of Transportation (DOTr) Assistant Secretary Goddes Hope Libiran, meanwhile, said the guidelines, which would contain not only the social distancing measures on the MRT-3 but in all public transportation in Metro Manila, would be announced once finalized after a meeting of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).<\/p>\n

\u201cPag-uusapan po yan sa<\/em>\u00a0(That will be discussed in the) IATF meeting. We will announce the guidelines once finalized and available,\u201d Libiran said.<\/p>\n

The measure came after President Rodrigo Duterte\u2019s announcement of a \u2018community quarantine\u2019 over Metro Manila which included the stringent application of social distancing in public transportation, especially in rail transports in the region.<\/p>\n

However, netizens were quick to criticize the measure as the usual long queues to board the MRT-3 worsened and alleged that the measure does not address possible contamination.<\/p>\n

In a comment on an MRT-3 post on Facebook, a netizen, who declined to be named, said he got in line to board the MRT-3 for two hours on Friday morning\u2014compared to his usual 40-minute travel on the rail line\u2014until he decided to go home instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cBakit may<\/em>\u00a0social distancing\u00a0pa? Ganun din naman, magkakadikit pa rin yung mga mukha namin sa haba ng pila. Mas matagal pa yung pila kesa sa biyahe<\/em>\u00a0(Why is there even social distancing? It was basically the same, our faces were practically touching due to the long queues. Queuing was longer than the journey),\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Some netizens also suggested more practical measures to combat the public health threat, with Edu Odovelas Jr. suggesting to have face masks mandatory for passengers instead of social distancing.<\/p>\n

Moreover, netizen Ricca Ng posted a comprehensive response to the MRT-3, suggesting that the train line must also require passengers to keep their masks on at all times and to use temperature scanners in entrances.<\/p>\n

\u201cLesser work\u00a0sa inyo at mas makaka<\/em>-focus\u00a0pa kayo<\/em>\u00a0sa<\/em>\u00a0other things instead of\u00a0wala na kayo magagawa<\/em>\u00a0the whole day\u2014lagi na lang i-<\/em>check\u00a0mga<\/em>\u00a0trains\u00a0na hindi mapuno<\/em>\u00a0(It less work for the MRT-3 since they can focus on other things instead of being preoccupied the whole day ensuring the trains don\u2019t get full),\u201d Ng said.<\/p>\n

The community quarantine in Metro Manila came after authorities raised Code Red Sub-level 2 on the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) on Thursday night.<\/p>\n

Starting Sunday (March 15) midnight, travel in and out of the metro will be restricted while classes and work in the executive branch are suspended until April 14, respectively, as part of the government\u2019s proactive measures against the disease.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MANILA\u00a0\u2013 An official of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) on Friday said the recent \u2018social distancing\u2019 measure enforced …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":129209,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,95],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-248290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","category-news-ph","mauthors-raymond-carl-dela-cruz","mauthors-philippine-news-agency"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=248290"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248290\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":248291,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248290\/revisions\/248291"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/129209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=248290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=248290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=248290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}