COVID-19 remains a threat to public health. According to the Department of Transportation (DOTr), in order to help in the opening and recovery of the economy, physical distancing between commuters inside public transportation will be reduced from 1-meter to .75 meter starting Monday, September 14, provided that the “No Face Mask, No Face Shield, No Entry” policy, as well as the “No Talking and No Answering Calls” will strictly be implemented.
Physical distancing helps limit the spread of COVID-19, which means we keep a distance of at least 1 meter from each other and avoid spending time in crowded places or in groups.
The gradual reduction of physical distancing will be implemented in phases or after every two weeks: from the present 1-meter distance which was enforced last August 19, 2020, it will be reduced to 0.75 meters starting September 14, 2020, 0.5 meters starting September 28, 2020, and 0.3 meters starting 12 October 2020.
Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said the Economic Development Cluster (EDC) and the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) proposal was approved and supported by the National Task Force against COVID-19 and the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Disease.
“There is a need to safely optimize the carrying capacity of the various public transport modes as Metro Manila and its adjacent areas continue with the transition towards the ‘new normal’ where more workers are expected to return to their re-opened workplaces and more businesses are expected to resume operations that were stopped during the enforcement of strict quarantine measures” Tugade stated.
According to Tugade, The expected increase in passenger capacity in railway lines is supported by data based on physical simulation.
For the LRT-1
1-meter: 155
0.75-meter: 204
0.5-meter: 255
0.3-meter: 300
For the LRT-2
1-meter: 160
0.75-meter: 212
0.5-meter: 274
0.3-meter: 502
For the MRT-3
1-meter: 153
0.75-meter: 204
0.5-meter: 255
0.3-meter: 286
For the Philippine National Railways
1-meter: 166
0.75-meter: 184
0.5-meter: 256
0.3-meter: 320
While there is no definite proof that things will be safe enough for us to be relieved on physical distancing measures as stated by the Department of Transportation, it is best to apply caution in this time of pandemic.
POP! Creator Community / Alexandra Del Mundo
