The recommended one-meter physical distancing will still be implemented in jeepneys operating in Iloilo City.
Mayor Jerry Treñas had a meeting with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB-6), Land Transportation Office (LTO-6), Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA-6), and the Department of Health (DOH-6) on Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 15.
After the meeting, Treñas said, they “agreed to maintain a status quo.”
“If the reduced distance in jeepneys will be implemented, though, I will request the bus liners to ply in the city with the permission of LTFRB so that physical distancing can be maintained,” the mayor said.
“Furthermore, I will ask our people not to ride in jeepneys since this is a sure way to get infected if there’s a [coronavirus-]positive person inside the jeep,” he added.
Treñas believes that “this is not yet the time” to reduce the one-meter rule for physical distancing.
The number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in Iloilo City is “still going up.”
The city, based on the DOH’s Sept. 15 bulletin, logged 1,493 infections, including 1,016 recoveries and 34 deaths.
The gradual reduction of physical distancing has been ordered by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) “in order to help in the opening and recovery of the [country’s battered] economy.
On Monday, Sept. 4, the required distance inside public transport vehicles was reduced to 0.75 meters from 1 meter.
The distance will be further reduced to 0.5 meters on Sept. 28, then 0.3 meters on Oct. 12.IMT
Photo by Arnold Almacen
