City Tourism Operations Officer Generose Tecson said on Wednesday the city government aims to spur economic activities by easing some of the restrictions such as the lifting of the use of motorcycle barriers, plastic barriers in jeepneys and other public utility vehicles (PUVs), and the use of face shields.
Tecson is hopeful that Dabawenyos will be responsible and disciplined enough to stay safe by following the health standards.
“We are hoping na people will also be extra careful and will be responsible enough to follow the public health standards and sila na rin ang mag gauge kung comfortable ba sila o hindi in places na meron crowd. Kasi hindi natin mawala na andito pa rin ang Covid,” she said.
During the start of the pandemic, one of the measures implemented by the government to prevent the spread of Covid-19 is the use of plastic barriers to maintain the required capacity rule inside the public transport and implement social distancing among the passengers.
On November 2, 2021, the city government of Davao announced that it will no longer require the mandatory use of motorcycle barriers and installation of plastic barriers on the jeepneys and other public utility vehicles to separate passengers effective immediately.
Under Executive Order No. 63 Series of 2021, or an order providing for the lifting of the use of motorcycle barriers, jeepney, and other public utility vehicle barriers, these barriers will no longer be required, however, the use of these safety measures are still encouraged.
Meanwhile, Nonito “Dondon” Llanos III, regional director of the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board 11 (LTFRB 11) emphasized that passengers still need to observe physical distancing even if the city government of Davao already lifted plastic barriers in public utility jeepneys (PUJs).
“Physical distancing is still a must,” said Llanos in a text message.
Although in Section 2 of the EO states that the use of plastic barriers in public utility vehicles (PUVs) shall no longer be required, drivers and operators must still implement the mandatory wearing of face mask and physical distancing inside their units.
Likewise, motorcycle barriers shall no longer be required for use.
The EO also stated that the barriers in PUVs and motorcycles are still encouraged for voluntary use only.
On the other hand, the city government also issued Executive Order (EO) No. 51-A Series of 2021, on November 2, 2021, ordering that face shields shall be for voluntary use in the 3Cs settings: crowded places, close-contact settings, and confined and enclosed spaces. For all other places, the use of the face shield shall not be required.
