COVID-19 positive MRT3 personnel rise to 127 —DOTr exec

MRT3 personnel who tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has increased to 127, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced on Thursday.

"May pumasok na bagong update, so [92], ngayon pong araw na ito ay 127 na po 'yung napag-alaman na COVID-19 positive among our depot personnel," DOTr Communications and Commuter Affairs Assistant Secretary Goddes Hope Libiran said in a "Dobol B sa News TV "interview.

Libiran however clarified that the depot personnel were different from the station personnel who directly deal with MRT3 passengers.

Out of the 127 cases, 124 were employees of maintenance provider Sumitomo-Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), while three were MRT3 depot personnel.

The new cases were found after the DOTr and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) ordered MRT3 depot and station personnel to have their swab test taken following an initial report of 25 positive cases.

A lockdown was then enforced in areas of the depot that were infected by COVID-19, and those who took their tests had undergone home quarantine.

Libiran said that around 1,200 MRT3 and Sumitomo-Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) personnel have been tested for COVID-19.

Libiran said as of the moment, the personnel who tested negative are the only ones allowed to enter the depot.

Sumitomo’s Masanori Honda has said they will try to keep the same maintenance performance through the week and will update the MRT3 management daily.

“We would like to discuss with DOTr MRT3 office day by day, how much maintenance level we would be able to keep, in view of the number of COVID-19 infected people,” Honda said.

MRT3 said it reached its highest ridership to date on Monday, JUne 29 amid general community quarantine, carrying 67,821 passengers at its reduced capacity of 13% or 153 passengers per train, down from 1,182 pre-ECQ. —Jamil Santos/LDF, GMA News