City to help PUJs implement health protocols

Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong ordered the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) and personnel of the Public Order and Safety Division (POSD) to help ensure adherence to health protocols in public utility vehicles (PUVs) and terminals.

In a press briefing, Tuesday, 11 January 2022, the mayor said police and POSD personnel will be deployed to jeepney terminals and pick-up points to ensure that queues follow physical distancing as well as jeepneys do not go beyond the allowed 70 percent carrying capacity.

The mayor also encouraged the use of medical grade face masks among passengers and PUV drivers, not cloth masks for better protection against the highly transmissible Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

“We met with transport leaders and we are in agreement that drivers and passengers should be wearing medical grade masks, not cloth masks, to ensure protection from the virus. They also requested the city for assistance in the implementation of the health standards,” Mayor Magalong said.

He said transportation leaders acknowledged their lapses in implementing the 70 percent carrying capacity especially during rush hours since a lot of passengers would insist on getting in jeepneys disregarding physical distancing.

Unfortunately, the mayor said plastic barriers in PUVs will no longer be reimplemented since several studies proved it impedes airflow inside jeepneys and increases the risk of infection transmission.

He said even the buses with air conditioning were told to open their windows for better air change flow. – Jessa P. Samidan