Duterte keeps 1 meter social distancing rule
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has made a decision to retain the 1 meter (three feet) social distance requirement on public transport to lessen coronavirus infecions, rejecting moves to lessen it to 30 centimeters (12 inches), his spokesman said on Saturday.
Health specialists have warned that reducing gaps between passengers in trains, buses and jeepneys could lead to a surge of infections in the Philippines, which includes the most confirmed COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia.
Duterte studied recommendations and decided to wthhold the 1 meter distancing requirement, including a ban on eating and speaking in public areas transport, presidential spokesman Harry Roque told state-run PTV4 network. Passengers still have to wear face shield and mask at all times, he added.
The transport ministry, which slice the distance to 75cm on Monday, 50cm on Sept. 28 and 30cm on Oct. 12 to support more passengers returning to are the economy slowly but surely reopens, said it will comply with the president's decision. "We shall aggressively comply and strictly enforce the 1-metre physical distancing in every public transport as envisioned and mandated," the transport ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
The World Health Organization recommends at least 1 meter of distancing in order to avoid the spread of the virus.Manila's transport systems are notoriously crowded, with commutes typically involving long queues and many changes.
Experts and doctors have referred to as dangerous and premature a reduction in distancing requirement, warning it could prolong a first wave of infections that the Philippines has been battling since March.The Philippines has almost 280,000 infections, greater than a third which were reported during the past 30 days, and 4,830 deaths, the next most in Southeast Asia, next only to Indonesia.
